Goal List Money

I have been whipping out my goals on my 101 in 1001 goal list. Maybe 9 doesn't seem like a lot when you think about having 101 but I really feel like I have accomplished a lot! On top of the 9 completed I have so many that are in progress. I tried to do 101 in 1001 a few years ago and I never came close to completing it. It is a wonderful feeling getting things done from the list!

Some of my goals are fun and light hearted while others are more challenging. I didn't want it to be a list that felt like a chore. I'm right! This list has been fun! Even the challenging ones are fun!

Kind of...

One goal I didn't think I would actually have any problems with is saving 11 dollars for every goal completed. I guess I just assumed the goals wouldn't be completed like BAM BAM BAM! I'm really lucky that because of my job I always have cash on hand but even so handing over $99 in the first 2 months was hard to do! I could have gotten a shirt on clearance, a new coffee mug, a delicious frappe, or something else but off the money went into a envelope marked "Goal List Money".

Saving money is a good thing and I really am not complaining. I just always need to have $11 on hand because who knows when the next goal is going to be completed.

Romantic Getaway

My amazingly sweet boyfriend surprised me with a little romantic getaway for my birthday. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. The getaway was just perfect. He kept it all a surprise, which is a little hard to do with me. I don't like surprises all that much! Maybe I'm changing my mind on that. He also has been amazing at trying to knock goals off my 101 in 1001 list. He thought of a few things we could do on this trip but I don't know if he realized that "Go on a romantic getaway with My Love" was a goal on my list! Goal completed!

It is really hard to get him to take a serious picture.

He is cute so he can get away with that, I suppose.

We went to a tiny little town in Kentucky not far from where we live. It had a cute little Inn. It was full of antiques and had plenty of history behind it. I'd love to just duplicate it and have it as my own house!

Even the key is cute!

One of the goals on my list is to do the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We have already done the Evan Williams one and on our little getaway we did the Four Roses Distillery! I'm actually not a huge Bourbon fan. My face will give that away. It is really neat to see how it is made and my favorite part, the gift shop!

It was the PERFECT birthday and romantic getaway. I can't thank my sweet boyfriend enough for doing something so special for me. I'm definitely already loving being twenty-eig AHH I'M OLD already.

Enveloped In Love

I think this post should be titled "How To Win Brownie Points With Your Boyfriend" but somehow I don't think that comes off quite so loving sounding. If that was the title I could definitely point you in the right direction because I scored a million brownie points with my boyfriend on a date I planned for him.

Me and the boyfriend usually have Monday Day Dates but this one was a little special. I had the whole day planned out and it was a surprise! I'm bad with surprises so I'm proud I didn't let anything slip. I picked him up early in the morning and wouldn't tell him where we were going. This was a tad difficult to do because he lives in the city and I don't. I only know how to get to certain things in the city like the hospital and the bars. Sometimes I need to go to both of those things in the same night. Just sayin'. Kidding. Kidding.

Along the way I handed him envelopes that had cute little things written inside of them. They all started out with "I love you because..." and they had to do with what we were currently doing. When he held my hand in the car. When he looked at me a certain way. It was all about timing with the envelopes. It worked out perfect. It was such a sweet and simple way to show him how much I love him.

The envelopes were definitely a key part of the surprise but the destination was special on its own. M has been wanting to go there for awhile now. I brought him to the Big Four Pedestrian Bride in Louisville, KY. You walk across the Ohio river. It is a pretty spectacular view. I knew it would be cold but 45 degrees sounded a lot warmer than the 5 degrees it has been. Who am I kidding? It was still cold and quite icy! It was still special. We walked together and he opened a few more envelopes along the way.

One of the envelopes said "I love you because we go together like peanut butter and jelly". I made him lunch! I made PB&J's and brought a few other goodies along with a big ol' blankey to keep us warm.

It was an amazing Monday Day Date. I'm so happy that I could do something special for M. He is always planning and doing wonderful things for me. He wins the best boyfriend award all the time. I won best girlfriend award on this date.

I know this because he never stopped smiling and what a gorgeous smile he has.

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This was a goal on 101 goal list.

Check.

Hearts&A Check Mark

It was Valentine's Day. One of my favorite days of the year. The weather wasn't sure if it wanted to cooperate. Marshall, my boyfriend, decided to take me and Gage out to lunch. By going to lunch we definitely avoided the crowds. Seemed like this lunch was going to be a good lunch.

Unfortunately, things started to go bad. We were sat at a high top table in the bar area. My 6 year old child isn't tall enough to reach the seats on his own not to mention it is in the bar area! We get settled. We order. Our food takes forever to get there. We ordered sandwiches and chicken tenders. Our drinks were sitting there empty. When our food got there, mine was not great and I didn't eat it. All in all for me, it wasn't a pleasant dining experience.

Then I remembered what I just posted about the perfect meal. I looked at my 2 boys and decided I was going to enjoy this lunch no matter what. It was Valentine's Day. I had the 2 greatest Valentine's with me. It didn't matter that the service and food were not outstanding. The meal was perfect.

Since, it was Valentine's Day and at this point I'm sure the waitress thought she wasn't going to get a good tip I decided to go ahead and 100% tip her. It is on my 101 goal list to do. Marshall was paying for the actual lunch but I decided since it was my goal I should leave the 100% tip. Luckily, I had exactly that much in cash. Funny how that worked out!

Goal Completed! Woohoo!

Valentine's Day was an adventure for us. It didn't stop there. The whole day brought on more crazy, crazy ,crazy times but it was a wonderful day. I got to spend it with my 2 loves. That is what counts!

Good Deeds

I bought a book/journal awhile ago. It is called One Good Deed A Day. Like the title says it has one good deed a day you can do. The book isn't really set up user friendly, though. There is no way of knowing where a good deed in the book is and if you pick a good deed but you happen to do a different good deed for the day then..well...you're out of luck. One day I am going to figure out to use this book. One day.

Since the book wasn't specifically written for hair stylists that live in Kentucky, the good deed I did is probably not in the book anyway. Maybe I don't need this book after all.

A lady came into the salon. She sat down in my chair and went on for a good 5 minutes about how she loved the last haircut I gave her. I let her talk for the full 5 minutes because I don't mind hearing about how awesome I am. When she finally finished complimenting me she whipped out her phone and told me she had a picture of how she wanted her hair cut this time. This usually isn't a problem. I might not be able to give you the exact cut as in the picture but I can get a pretty good general look of it for you.

My only rule is if the picture you are about to show me on your cellphone is older than any cellphone ever invented then you should just put that thing away. I'm not doing it!

Of course, I don't actually have the option of not doing it because that is a) rude of me and b) I don't own the salon I work in. I am your slave. I will do as you wish even if it is ugly as heck hair from the 1980s.

And that is what she showed me. A picture of her from over 20 years ago with feathered hair that closely resembled Joe Dirt.

And I had to do but I gave her some Meagan style which means I gave her an updated look of that horrific picture she showed me. That is my job. To make you beautiful and somewhat presentable for 2014.

When I was done, she wanted it shorter on the sides. She really wanted a mullet. I'm surrounded by mirrors and I am known for my facial expressions. She saw it right away. She laughed and I laughed. I explained to her that what she wanted was Joe Dirts hair haircut and I don't think that is really a good thing. I'm an honest hair stylist. I then sat down curled her feather crap and teased the top and told her she can still get it to look like Farrah Fawcett.

She liked it. She thanked me for saving her from a bad hair decision.

And that was my good deed for the day.

Amen.

Perfect Meal

The perfect meal has nothing to do with the actual food. The perfect meal doesn't have to take hours to prepare. The perfect meal doesn't mean you have to go out and eat. The perfect meal doesn't mean you have to dress up for it. The perfect meal doesn't even have to be fancy. The perfect meal might be just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The perfect meal has everything to do with who you are sharing it with. The perfect meal might be most disgusting awful thing in front of you but if the right person was across you or beside you then it wouldn't really matter. The perfect meal might be and could be happening to you every single night.

Reading My Height In Books Part 3

I've been on a historical fiction/non-fiction kick all about the same time period. I've read The Book Thief and now these two below. There are a lot of sadness within the books. Tissues are required.

Night by Ellie Wiesel

I don't even know if it is possible to write a review for this book. It is written by a holocaust survivor. It is about unimaginable brutal events that people should never be capable of doing. It is about faith. It is about love. It is powerful and heartbreaking, I definitely think everyone should read this book if you they haven't already. 

War Brides by Helen Bryan

War Brides was a good read. It was hard to get into at first. There are a lot of characters and the author makes long chapters about each and every one before they come together as a group. Once they become a group it was a lot easier to read and keep up with. The ending left me wanting more. It didn't seem like it was suppose to be over. Despite the beginning and the ending, I really loved this book! I finished this book in a day thanks to Gage's bedtime and a slow day at work. My mom is reading it now!

I Am Good Enough

I thought the weekend would defeat me. I thought it would crush me and I would be a sobbing mess by Monday. I'm not, though. In fact, I almost feel the opposite of that.

I feel strong.

And I feel sad...but not for myself. I feel sad for certain people in my life and others like them.

This weekend I was made to feel less than. Basically, that I was not good enough. That my past defined me. That my present didn't meet their standards. That my future would never amount to much. It wasn't put so blunt but I can read between the lines.

And the one person who should have defended me and supported me...didn't. They faltered. They doubted. They are probably still confused and torn as you are reading this.

Let me tell you something...I am good enough. I deserve to be treated better. I deserve so much better. We all do. You, me, her, him, and them. We all deserve better. No one should EVER be made to feel like I did this weekend.

I have made mistakes. Who hasn't? That is life. You learn from them, you move on, and hope not to repeat them again. My mistakes don't define me. My mistakes are guiding me.

I am the woman who is striving to be a better person every day of her life.

I feel really sad for people who expect everyone to fit in a perfect little mold of what we should be like. They are missing out on so many amazing people. It really hurts me to the depths of my soul that there are people that have the appearance of being good, loving, and righteous but they have no room in their hearts for anything that is different.

I feel really sad for the people who just follow in their footsteps without questioning.

You know who I don't feel sorry for? Me. I am Meagan. The mother of Gage. The hair stylist. The woman who at almost 28 still lives with her parents. The payer of her own bills. The book lover. The shopping enthusiast. The best friend. The listener. The woman who wants to go to church but never does. The strong one. The weak one. The supportive one. The loyal one. The person who forgot it was your birthday. The random gift giver. The tickler of tiny toes. The mommy who is sorry she yelled at you. The movie watcher. The reality TV junkie. The car singer. The dress wearer. The sock hater. The caring one. The person with a good heart.
The person is so much more than she could ever list.

I am Meagan. I will always be Meagan. I've never pretended to be anyone else. I keep it real.

My life isn't always perfect. Things might not always turn out the way I want it to. I might stumble from time to time.
My life is lovely, though. Every mistake. Every blessing. It is mine.

I am good enough.

Don't Be A Joy Sucker

I love Valentine's Day. Love it so much I would marry it. I love Valentine's Day even if I'm not in a relationship. It doesn't change anything for it. This day is about love. I'm going to love my son, my parents, my coworkers, my friends, the mailman, the gas station worker and this year I really do get to love my boyfriend on this day!

This day is just about love. 

There will never be any boycotting this lovely holiday ever. I will never understand that. Never. Peoples biggest comment is "you shouldn't just show love on one day.". Who ever said you are just showing it on one day? I'm full of love every day for the people in my life. This day just makes it sweet and fun. Why do you celebrate Halloween? Present giving at Christmas? Egg hunting on Easter? It gives us JOY!

Don't be a joy sucker!

Celebrate Valentine's Day!

With all that being said let me tell you about Valentine's Day! I have been a crafting fool today. Kid crafts, card making, boyfriend crafts, parents craft. Every one is getting something crafted and they are going to like it!

7 More days until Valentine's Day!

<3

#backthatazzup 

This is my Valentine's Day jaaaam.

That and Marvin Gaye.

The Long And Short Of It

I have been growing my hair out for the past 4 years. Think Victoria Beckham and that is how short my hair was. It wasn't intentionally done that way.The girl cutting my hair made one side shorter than the other by a lot. I had no choice but to cut the other side off and give it some style. No worries. The girl cutting my hair wasn't harmed during any of this. I stayed pretty calm.

I don't think I have any pictures from that hair era but here I am about a year out from that cut. Still pretty short in my book.

and 3 years after that picture I feel like my hair is never growing. It will never be long enough. 

I went from the girl who didn't really care that you accidentally cut all her hair off to the girl who will throw a fit if you cut more than an inch off at a time. 

I feel like it is such a big deal now that my hair is longer that it is expected to stay long. I really think the people in my life might be absolutely shocked if I one day I had long hair and then next it was short. 

And yet I keep playing with this idea.

But talking myself out of it because it took forever for me to grow it out.

Is there anything(not immoral or controversial) that if you did it, people would be shocked?

Silly Faces

Silly faces in crowded places

Make pretty smiles as big as a child's

Silly faces in crowded places

Makes loud laughter as we keep making faces after

Silly faces in crowded places

Makes this place brighter and our hearts lighter

101 Rewards

I was doing a little thinking about my 101 in 1001 goal list. I really like the idea of it. I'm still excited to get things done on it. However, a question popped into my head and that is "Should I reward myself when I have completed the list or a certain amount of goals?". I think that idea if rewarding myself sounds really fun and exciting as much as the list is fun and exciting!

The more I thought about it, though, the more it came to me that the goal list in itself is a reward! How amazing is that?! I don't think I need a reward for completing any of these goals. They are rewards on their own already.

Plus, at the end of the goal list I will have saved $1,111 and that is a lot! I can do quite bit with that much. Vacation? Clothes shopping spree? Donation to the Arthritis Foundation? Or even one of the goals on my list is to donate to someone else's charity of choice.

I have some time to think about it some more. I've only completed 3 goals. Many more to go!