Welcome to the world!

I love you Clairebear

Happy Birthday to You... and you and you and you and you and you and you and you

I feel so bad that I've let all of these family birthdays slip by! I overestimated my blogging skills when I started this. Time to catch up!

Uncle Steve - April 16

Uncle Steve and Aunt Ginny have been married since he was 18 and she was 17! I just think that is so cool. He is also a wonderful father to Jessi and Seth. The day they got home from their California/Vegas vacation, he went into the attic and got down the rocking chair that my mom rocked me in and her mom rocked her in and I will rock a baby squid in. Thank you Uncle Steve!!

Hudsyn - May 16

Such a cutie! Hudsyn loves her family, the beach, couture clothing, and the camera. Which is great for Aunt Megan, since I don't get to see her enough. I have to check her mama's Facebook every day for new pics. She loves to travel too. When her parents take her on vacation, they get upgraded to first class because they think she's a celebrity. Her dad is already having to keep the boys away!

Racheal - May 30

Doesn't she look like Quinn from Glee, but even prettier? Racheal married my cousin Brock about five years ago and they have two adorable boys, Ayden and Asher. She and the boys are the best thing to ever come into Brock's life! We are so thankful to have her in our family. Racheal is a cosmetologist. If you're ever in the Golden Triangle, make an appointment with her for the best cut and highlight of your life!!

Asher - June 2

I've always thought I wanted to have a girl first. After spending a few hours with this cutie and his brother Ayden, I realized that I would love to have boys! Asher is a redhead and has the fiery personality of one. Even though he's too young to start Karate, he already knows all the moves from watching his expert older brother. Jaden Smith, watch out - the Richardson boys are on their way to becoming the REAL Karate Kids.

MG - June 3

Oh how I love Ilmj (pronounced phonetically). If you go to dictionary.com and type in 'fun,' you will see this exact picture next to it!! I am so thankful to have MG as my mother-in-law. Besides being the life of any party, she is encouraging, helpful, and way more stylish than me. Any time I get compliments on an outfit, it's one that she gave me after a closet clean out! She is so excited to be a grandmother to two babies this winter. They will call her Migi. Cute name for a cute Ilmj!!

Glenn - June 7

Gland is my evil stepfather. He calls me Monkey, which rhymes with Chunky, and that's just not something you call a pregnant girl. But, I guess he has some strengths as well. I mean, doesn't everybody? I'll try to think of a few... Well, he is the best deck builder, kitchen remodeler, and dryer door changer in the world. He's not too bad at cooking and grilling either. He loves my mama and the dogs, and he tolerates the cats. And he knows all the best redneck jokes if you ever need a laugh. Oh, I guess he's not too bad.

Colby - June 8

My little bitty baby brother. He always does this with his hands. I think two must be his lucky number. Probably because I'm almost two years older than him. He is a DJ who graduated with HONORS from mortuary school. If you ever need any embalming done, he's the one to call. Colby has such a sweet, giving heart. When we were in college, we both lived by ourselves in apartments across the street from each other. Any time I was lonely or hungry, he'd come over, order some pizza, and watch a movie with me. Miss that little one!

Zack - June 12

Izha wizha, i.e., Zack Ewing, Photographer Extraordinaire, Teach for America Teacher of the Century, NGV Marketing Exec, etc., etc. Zack is Ranger's brother, and therefore my brother too! That's the cool thing about getting married - you get a little cooler because you get to be related to cool people like Zack. He enjoys Friday Night Lights, sushi, EMILY, family, and entertaining people with his crazy antics. Last weekend he started a dance party photo shoot in the middle of the hotel piano room. Who else can do that?? We will miss seeing him in College Station next year, but will have lots of fun adventures in H-town when we visit!

CaNdY!!!!!

Top Ten Best Candy

10. Blow Pops. Sour Apple, Strawberry, Cherry - that order.

9. Sweettarts. I love the shiny packaging of the roll!

8. Heath and Skor Bars = tie

7. Smarties

6. Sprees (and RIP - Spree Hearts). I used to eat a roll of these every day in college. I would run to the store on campus in between classes and eat them during English. My teeth would hurt so bad but it was worth it!

5. Reese's

4. Safe-T-Pops. I love the loop for a stick.

3. Jelly Belly jellybeans, most flavors. Have you ever played the jellybean game? You need a partner and a road trip. Give your partner a jellybean, and he or she has to guess the flavor. No tricking them with licorice though!

2. PEZ

1. Nerds. I love the red and white Valentine's Day kind the best!

Top Ten Worst Candy

10. Twizzlers

9. Good & Plenty

8. Bit O' Honey. Our waitress gave these to us after breakfast one day. I couldn't even swallow a bite, it went into the napkin.

7. Cow Tails. My stepdad Glenn loves these!

6. Big Hunk

5. Peeps. Easter treat?

4. Squeeze Pops. I ate a whole squeeze pop in between numbers for one of my recitals when I was little. Sick.

3. Dots

2. These flavors of Jelly Belly jellybeans: Pear, Watermelon, Licorice, Garlic. Yes, Garlic.

1. Circus Peanuts. Does anyone like these?

Things I DO Like

Happenings, events and occurrences:

- Finding the perfect birthday or Christmas present for someone way ahead of time.

- Weddings.

- When the Squid gets home from work early.

- Buying the Squid treats.

- Holding a newborn baby.

- Pedicures.

- Massages.

- Shopping. But even if I don't buy anything.

- Waking up at 8:00 on weekends and playing around town.

Places:

- Our families' houses.

- The loveseat in the living room.

- Target.

- Antique stores.

- Any store or restaurant that I'm at for the first time.

- Minute Maid Park.

Food and drink:

- Sushi.

- Ice water.

- Rock Candy snow cones from JJs.

- Toffee Nut hot chocolate from Starbucks.

- Nachos.

- Oranges and apples.

- Turkey-Mayo-Swiss (three pieces)-Avocado-Salt Pita on white.

- Slovacek Sausage and Cheese, Cream Cheese Kolaches.

Clothes:

- Diesel jeans.

- TOMS.

- Soft pajama pants.

- NGV Tees.

TV:

- Friday Night Lights.

- Parenthood.

- American Idol, except a little less now that Siobhan is gone.

- The Bachelor/The Bachelorette.

- 30 Rock.

- Glee.

- Gossip Girl.

Music:

- When JR Ewing plays the piano and sings.

- 80s pop.

- The Beatles.

- George Michael.

- Tears for Fears.

- Naked Eyes.

- Pete Yorn.

- Collective Soul.

- Some James, some Morrisey, some Julian Lennon, some Kings of Convenience.

Products:

- It's a 10 leave-in conditioner.

- Lancome Definicils mascara.

- Carmex.

- Biolage shampoo and conditioner.

- Chanel Chance perfume.

- Paul Smith cologne and Hemp lotion from The Body Shop for the Ranger.

Qualities in people:

- Genuine.

- Friendly.

- Nonjudgmental.

- Noncritical.

- Helpful.

- Fun-loving.

- Sees the best in others.

- When others are able to rest around that person.

- Gentle.

- Joyful.

I do like other things. These are just a few! What do YOU like?

Seth and Session Month

Well, I had good intentions when I decided I'd dedicate posts to family members on their birthdays, but I don't think I've ever posted on anyone's actual birthday. My cousin Seth turned 13 on April 3, and my brother Session turns 32 or 33 today. And since I don't think either of them has ever read this blog, they probably won't mind sharing a post!

Meet Seth:

S uperstar on the drums

E veryone loves him

T alented athlete

H eart of gold

Meet Session:

S miley

E xcellent plumber

S weet and loving dad to Hudsyn

S assy, hot wife named Lindsay

I wish I could see him more

O lder brother that I love

N ever loses bets

Negative Nmegan

I love making lists, but I want to end on a positive note. So today, I'm going to give you a list of things I don't like, so that next time, I can tell you the things that I do like! This doesn't include things I hate, such as poverty, illness, and violence. Bloggyworld isn't a place for such sadness! Ok, here goes:

1. Dropping things. It's a waste of time. If I wanted it on the floor, I would have put it there.

2. Toilets.

3. Being startled.

4. When Kolache Rolf's is out of Slovacek Sausage, Cheese, and Jalapeno AND Cream Cheese two hours before they close.

5. Rules without purpose.

6. Barking.

7. Allergies.

8. Puddles and piles from pups.

9. Interruptions.

10. Canteloupe.

11. When changing a lightbulb is way more complicated than it should be.

12. Going to the post office.

Are we like dogs to God?

Preface to the Preface: Ranger and I do not have kids, but we do have two dogs who sometimes feel like our kids! Therefore, they are my subjects for doting, so indulge me for a bit while I tell you about my much-needed quality time with them lately.

Preface: Archie and Norman have been such a blessing in my life, especially over the last few days. They traveled with me like perfect angels in their kennel in the backseat of my car for three hours on the way to Nederland on Wednesday. They LOVED running around in Nanny and Paw Paw's big yard. They didn't pee on the floor (okay, maybe a little sprinkle by Archie on Nanny's rocking chair but not like the puddles he usually leaves in our dining room) and didn't bark like crazy to come inside if they were out for awhile. I put them in their kennel to sleep by me the first night. Norman used to sleep in the bed with us, but Archie has never been able to make it through the night in our bed without wetting it. Trust me, it's not worth waking up at 3 a.m., stripping the sheets, washing them, and sleeping on a bare mattress for the rest of the night just to have a little cuddle bug next to you. So since Norman and Archie are BFFs and they have to be together all the time, it's worked best for them to share a kennel at night far away from our bed. Well, I was feeling lonely because I didn't have Ranger around to snuggle with, so on Thursday night, the pups slept on the couch with me. This was a big risk. Paw Paw is very particular about his carpet and furniture. But it was a successful night! They were so snuggly and cute and made the sweetest noises. Archie woke up (and woke me up) at least every 30 minutes the first half of the night from walking on my face and chest, moving down to my feet by Norman, then finally settling for a spot on my pillow behind my head. It was perfect and I loved all nine times I woke up because of Archie trying to get settled. Friday night, I went home and was by myself another night. I decided to give them a chance to redeem themselves in the bed. They were so good! So now, they're snoring on either side of me as I type this from bed. We love it. They love to snuggle and keep us warm. I'm so glad we've crossed this milestone.

Ok, now for the thoughts I had that led me to this post. On Saturday, I had a lot of cleaning to do. Due to the above-mentioned puddles of pee, Fabuloso just wasn't going to cut it on the dining room floor. I needed to mop with bleach. I had a lot to do and was kind of in a time crunch. So I put Archie and Norman outside. I mopped the floor, which took about 15 minutes to dry. During that time, I swept up all the dog hair that accumulates too quickly in our house. The whole time, the pups were barking to come in. And not just little squeaks, but blood-curdling yelps that probably made the neighbors think we were beating them. I kept telling them no, but they just wouldn't stop. I had good reasons for not letting them in, but they couldn't see past their discomfort of being outside. They didn't understand why they couldn't be in. They thought they knew what they needed and what was best. Here's where the analogies come in:

1. The pups were so focused on their situation that the whole time they were outside, they were little balls of stress. At this point in the day, the weather was nice. They could have drunk from their big water bowl, played, or humped each other (favorite pasttime), but instead their anxiety and one-track minds led them to be miserable for 15 minutes.

- We can get so caught up in our situations that we are kept from enjoying them, growing, and being productive. I think back to a few years ago. I had just graduated college, and lots of people were moving away, starting cool new jobs, or getting married. I was still in College Station, didn't have a teaching position yet, and nowhere near being married. At times, I would focus so much on the negative that I forgot to enjoy that time in my life and use it as an opportunity to grow.

2. They didn't understand that they were outside for their own good. If I would have let them in, they would have gone into the kitchen and licked up the bleach from the floor. They lick anything. I was keeping them safe, but they thought I was being mean.

- Sometimes we go through things that we don't really like, but are for our good, either spiritually, emotionally, or physically. At the time, we don't understand why things can't be different. Again, back to the post-college, pre-marriage stage. Looking back, I am so thankful that I didn't get married younger, even glad that Ranger and I didn't meet sooner. Before we started dating, we had both learned some life lessons that we really needed to experience before marriage, and I think it's made us better for each other. I'm so thankful that God didn't give me what I wanted and thought I needed. I guess He's smarter than me?

3. Even though they desperately wanted to be inside, I had things to accomplish that I couldn't have done with them inside. Sure, I could have, but not the way I wanted to. My plan for cleaning the house was more important and urgent than them coming in right then.

- Like it or not, God is better than us, and His plan is more important than ours. His kingdom is eternal, and His plan stretches across the world and beyond. That is so much more than we can grasp. Just like the need for housecleaning, and the dogs not being a part of it, is more than they could understand. I kept thinking, I wish they could just get it. I need to do this, and their ruckus isn't helping. It will be over soon, all will be ok, and they'll be soooo embarrassed for barking this much. I wonder if God feels that way about us when we complain about our situations? Good thing He's way more patient with us than I am with the pups!

Do you have any dog/us/God analogies you'd like to share? Cats are fine too.

Micah Day (11 days late)

Tuesday, March 9 was a special special day. Micah Lea Davis celebrated her birthday! Micah came into my life when I was three years old. She and Dad came to pick me up, and she says her first memory of me was when I was standing in the window waiting for my Daddy to pull into the driveway. But enough about me, this is Micah Day (11 days late)! After the two hour drive from Nederland to Houston, I was sold. She even let me "make milk" in the kitchen sink when I wanted to help with dishes.

Later on, when Micah and Dad decided to get married, Mom came in our room and told us, "Daddy and Micah are going to be married. Now she's going to be Micah Davis. You're going to have a stepmom!" WHAT??? A STEPMOM?? My only experience with a stepmom at that point was Cinderella's evil stepmother. I was so afraid that this nice lady that my dad had introduced me to was going to turn into a wicked monster who made me scrub the floors and wear ugly clothes. But my mom eased my fears, and the more time I spent with Micah, the evil stepmother fear proved to be untrue.

I am so thankful to have Micah in my life. Here are some pics of the pretty lady.

At the lakehouse

Dad and Micah - you guessed it - at Christmas time

Shakin' it to the music of Eazy or Brothers of Another Mother (Dad's bands)

Muffins

I'd like to dedicate this week to our two pups, Norman and Archie. Archie will celebrate his first birthday (human years) on Saturday. Here's what you need to know about them:

Norman was the first pup pup

To ever steal my heart.

We met when he was five months old,

We never were apart.

Ranger and I played with him,

I taught him how to sit.

Now, his last year's Christmas outfit

Doesn't even fit.

He's hefty for his age and breed,

But can you really blame him?

"Chunky" is what we would call him

If we could rename him.

Then later on a new addition,

Archie joins our pack!

Energy and cuteness,

He certainly doesn't lack.

He likes to bark and wet the floor

And chew up all the chairs.

But with a face as sweet as that,

Who really even cares?

Norman is so sensitive,

Archie's the feisty one.

As different as they are,

They really do have fun.

The crazy things they do sometimes

Can drive us close to mad.

But life with these two little pups

Is really not that bad.

They snuggle up and kiss us,

They've never met a stranger.

Becoming wrapped around their paws

May be your biggest danger.

So if you haven't had a chance

To meet our precious friends,

You can see from the pics

The excitement never ends!

Norman Cake

Archie Muffin and some friends

Norman and Archie watching the Cole show

Jessi Day

Today (well, yesterday, but I couldn't make it to my computer in time), is Jessi Day. She is officially 18! She can vote, gamble, buy tobacco products (better not), sign her own paperwork at the doctor's office, enlist in the military, call racy 1-900 numbers, and get married without parental permission (better not). Jessi is my cousin, but we like to say that we're sisters.

Meet Jessi!

Love you little sis and hope 18 is the best year yet! :)

Side note - Paw Paw and Jessi, sorry the only pics I can find are 17 months old. This just means more family time and pics need to happen SOON.

Paw Paw Day

Today is my Paw Paw's birthday. He is 70-something. It's ok that I don't know exactly how old he is because neither does he.

Meet Paw Paw!

Sorry ladies, he's taken.

Happy birthday to the best Paw Paw in the world! :)

Discontinued

There have been many things over the years that I have grown to love and become attached to, only to find they are discontinued. The thing about it is that when something is discontinued, it's not like they put a big sign where it used to be in the store that says DISCONTINUED. You go, expecting to find what you want, and it's not there. So you think, I'll just pick it up next time. You go back a few days later with your hopes up, and still no luck. There's really no closure. You just have to one day accept the fact that you never got to say goodbye to one of your favorite products. Here are a few examples of my experience with this:

1. Morningstar Farms breakfast sandwich. It had a veggie sausage patty, egg substitute, and low fat cheese on an English muffin. It was healthy with lots of protein and I used to stock my freezer with them and eat one every morning, sometimes for lunch too.

2. Spree Hearts at Valentine's Day. That was my favorite candy, and I would always rush to Walgreens in mid-January when the Valentine's stuff went out. The little boxes of pink and white Nerds are a close second though.

3. Brummel & Brown Apple Cinnamon yogurt spread.

4. Skintimate Bikini and Underarm shaving gel. I thought I was so clever to use it on my legs.

5. Navy Glitter TOMS. They can pass as dark silver so I could wear them with anything. After over a year, they are finally wearing out and I can't find a replacement. Not even at Northgate Vintage, the ultimate source of TOMS.

6. S'mores lip gloss. They still make it but the texture and scent are different so it's just not the same.

7. Coming soon: Gossip Girl. I read that this is the last season. Does this mean that I have to get my own life instead of being wrapped up in those of Blair, Serena, and Little Jenny?

8. Sandlewood & Rose at Bath & Body Works. I loved anything in this scent - candles, shower gel, you name it. It doesn't come back when they bring back the old favorites once or twice a year, and they don't have some stored in a warehouse somewhere. I asked. Ranger loved this one too, and not even his mad e-bay skills could get some more for me.

9. HEB Cinnamon Hazelnut coffee. It may be a little premature to say it's discontinued, but the last two times we've looked for it, we couldn't find it. We shall see.

10. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. I got on a kick last winter and looked forward to it this year when the red cups came out, but they didn't have the salt. A close substitute is regular hot chocolate with toffee nut syrup and whipped cream.

11. Fra Guerau 2004 red wine. We got it at Specs from our favorite wine advisor and loved it. We went to buy more, only to find out it was a one-time shipment and they will probably not be getting any more. We'll keep checking though just in case!

So... my advice is that if you really really like something, keep your pantry, fridge, or shelves stocked with at least 10 of them. That way if it becomes discontinued, you'll have some time to wean yourself off before having to find the next best thing. ;)

My Squid - Part 2

Well, Ranger is officially 30 as of yesterday. I am so thankful to have him as my husband, best friend, and partner in life (and crime!). Some bday boy pics from the big night:

Before I met him, I was becoming settled on the idea that "the one" didn't really exist, that God has a moral will but that within that moral will, we can choose what we do, including who we spend our life with. I still believe that, but with throwing out the idea of "the one," I also believed that when it came to finding a husband, I should lower my expectations of finding a good fit. I figured that I probably wouldn't be naturally attracted to him AND have fun with him AND have the same belief system, etc.

All my life, I've liked really bright things and things that sparkle. I wore different color neon socks, and anything neon for that matter, in elementary school when all the other little girls were wearing pastel shirts with pictures of cats on them. Instead of coloring a picture, I'd make designs out of glue and shake different colors of glitter on it. When I was a cheerleader, I saw every game as an opportunity to sparkly purple pixie dust on my eyes and bright pink blush and lipstick. And I LOVE the night sky away from the city when there are tons of stars.

I guess the best way to describe Ranger is that he's sparkly glitter to me. God totally exceeded my expectations and prayers when He brought him into my life. He's not just a van Gogh painting, he's Starry Night with silver and blue glitter sprinkled all over it. But in the manliest way possible, of course. :)

My Squid - Part 1

This week is special. It's Ranger Week! Let's get the subject of nicknames out of the way before I go any further.

When I first met James Ryan Ewing, he was working on the grill at Pita Pit. Mallory called over to him from the register, "Hey Ranger, come here, I want you to meet someone." So to me, he was Ranger. A year went by and we didn't see each other, and after Mal married and moved to NJ, I didn't hear about him or talk about him. So when I went in for a pita a year later, I said, "Ranger, right?" and he said, "Yeah. Megan, right?" So those were our names. My receipt said Host: Ranger. So clearly, that was his name!

Then we became Facebook friends, and I discovered his name is really JR Ewing. But some people called him Ryan on his wall (I'm past the point of pretending I didn't do a little stalking in the early days!). So I just went with what I first knew him as, and continued to call him Ranger. He said he liked it, and I did to.

But then as the relationship progressed and I talked about him to friends and family, the questions came. "Ranger? That's his name?" or "Wait... The dog's Norman and your boyfriend's Ranger, or the other way around?" So then I had to explain that he got the name Ranger when he created his first e-mail address. His family used to call him Ryno, and he liked Nolan Ryan from the Rangers, so his first e-mail address was rynoranger@juno.com. So people somehow started calling him Ranger and it stuck.

Then they'd ask, "Do you call him Ryan or Ranger? Do you feel weird calling him Ranger? Other people call him Ryan... but you call him Ranger?" So then I DID kind of feel weird calling him Ranger, but I felt even more weird starting to call him Ryan or JR when that's not how I met and got to know him.

So I was never really comfortable calling him anything, when one day I called him Ranger Cake. That lasted a few days, then the Ranger part dropped, and it was just Cake. Eventually the same thing happened and the shortened progression is this: Cake Diddly, Cake Diddly Squiddly, Diddly Squiddly, Squidda, Squid.

So here's to the beginning of a few days of posts in honor of my LOML, my Squid.

Real Life Reader

Until now, I've never been much of a reader. Well, I take that back. In third grade, I read every Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley (Twins & Friends, High, AND University) book. My favorite book was one I ordered from a Scholastic book order, My Zombie Valentine. I'll never forget that the main character's name was Xia Dedd. Then as I got older, I always found other ways to occupy my time. But NOW... I'm a real life reader! I always see Ranger reading and it seems like so much fun. He stays up later than me because he can't put down his book. I wanted to be in on all the fun, so I asked for a book for Christmas and read it in less than a week, which is a really big deal for me! Since Christmas, here are the books I've read. I'll keep the list updated and let you know what I think after I finish each book. I'd appreciate any recommendations as well! :)

1. Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer. It took me almost a year to read this. I saw the movie first and wanted to be a reader so I bought the book. I loved it, but I'd read a lot and then forget about it for a few weeks. I finally finished it right after Christmas!

2. Looking for Alaska, by John Green. The librarian at my school read it and liked it almost as much as Twilight. She's really cool and I like her taste in clothes and fun, so I gave this a try too. It was a fast read (great for a beginning real life reader) and a great story. Kind of heavy in some parts, but I liked it.

3. Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin. Mallory heard that I am becoming a reader, so she let me borrow this and the next one. It's certainly a "chick flick" (does that term apply to books?) but very entertaining. I read this one in a week too! :)

4. Something Blue, by Emily Giffin. This one is the sequel to Something Borrowed. It's written from the other best friend's perspective, and it brings closure to the first one. It's really good and ends well, which I like. I read this one in one weekend, a record!

I'll keep you posted on my progress as a Real Life Reader.

Books I've read in 2010: