Friends and "Family"

So I am living in a house with 4 other people (Will, A., K., and J.) and 3 cats (Ava, Sam, and Binks) and a new little 8 week old puppy (Jezebelle). Amongst us, we have several jobs, a whole lot of classes, and all sorts of other responsibilities. We shop as a house at Sam's Club, we take turns with chores, and we even have a dry-erase board on the fridge where we write whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty. Often times, I cook dinner for the house, drive people where they need to go, and make sure everyone is feeling okay and doing alright. I am the most like a house mother, but I don't take all the big responsibilities. K. is in charge of our bills, J. is in charge of the Sam's Club membership, and A. and Will are kind of like our protectors and helpers. They make sure that the animals are safe, retrieve Sam when he climbs a tree or the chimney (he's an indoor/outdoor cat who just showed up one day), and make sure that the doors and windows are locked and secure at night. We really do function quite well together and have become a little "family." When K.'s Grandma died recently, we all rallied to support her. I made her a poster for her room that says "You are Loved," we made her special dinners and desserts, we watched movies she wanted to watch to cheer up (like the amazing movie "The Princess Bride"), and Will and I even went to the visitation at the funeral home. The most telling moment of our close knit "family" though is when K. came home after she first got the news. I was lying on my bed and Will was sitting at the computer. Without a word, K. came and climbed into bed with me and just cried a little while I held her and rubbed her back. We stayed like that for awhile and she said "My grandma died," through teary eyes as I kept her close to me. And then when she was ready, she got up with a smile, and no other words were needed. We are here for one another.

It's wonderful to me that in life, you have your family that your born with, but you can also have a "family" that you choose to have in addition to that. It's about caring, sharing, and spreading the love. And as corny as it may sound, I love my little house "family."

Lots of Goodies and Interesting Tidbits...

 Check out some of the highlights of Summer, 2009:

A very foggy day made for a fun Bridge Walk over the Mackinac Bridge. Everything looked so cool.
My mom and I went to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, MI and had a lovely day. I posed with this awesome statue. It was love. :)
Pretty plants on GVSU's campus in Grand Rapids, MI.

My mom, sister, and I went to a great exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Ava is really getting along with her new cat friends at our house. Here she is with Binks, hanging out and having a great time.

I made my mark on a beach up in the U.P.

I love taking pictures! :)

So, in any case, there's some of the fun I've been having. Now for some other fun things I have come across today.

First of all, we have a little analysis of me, courtesy of Astrology.com.

How Meagan Relates to Other People


Sun Opposition Uranus with an orb of less than 1/2 degree
You are restless and independent and, no matter how close you become to someone, you always remain your own person and there is a part of yourself you cannot share. You are uncompromisingly true to your convictions which must be shared by those close to you.
Mars Conjunct Saturn with an orb between 1 and 3 degrees
Your emotional needs were not met when you were growing up and there was nothing you could do about it. Even today, you tend not to express anger or pain or resentment except when you are in an infrequent rage. This is a problem in close relationships.
Sun Conjunct Venus with an orb between 3 and 5 degrees
Most people like you. You form relationships easily but may have some difficulty sustaining them. You tend to project your own ego ideals onto your partner, sometimes at the expense of relating to their needs. For you, admiration is a prerequisite for love.
Venus Opposition Uranus with an orb between 3 and 5 degrees
You need to be close and you need to be free. This is a major life conflict which has always created complications for you in close personal relationships. One manifestation of this may be a tendency to pursue the unavailable or the unreliable.

Next, we have some wisdom, courtesy of actress Meryl Streep. Check it out here.

Finally, if you're interested in learning more about electronic music, check out Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music. My boyfriend and I used to be on this site all the time, and he pulled it up today which made me want to share it. :) Enjoy!

That's about all for now. Sorry if it's a bit random and scattered. I'm in a good place right now, which means I'm busy and easily excited by random things, hence why a blog post like this occurs. 

Ah well... life is good. And random can be good too. Yeah... random can be good.

#randomcanbegood

Real Job

Well friends, sorry I have not been on much lately, but the good news is... I got a "real" job! :) I am teaching again which is fantastic. But it is part time which means I will still have time to devote to my crazy Bohemian lifestyle and all my little odd jobs. :) I'm pretty happy about the whole situation.

It's just been hectic for the past two weeks. Once I get settled in, I will be back into Blogger mode. 

Stick with me!

Peace and Love,

Meagan

Fall 09 Bohemian Hippie Free-Spirit Clothing Ideas

Well, Fall is right around the corner, so it's time for some fall clothing shopping. If you are interested in the Hippie/Bohemian/Free-Spirit clothing style, I have some resources for you.

Goodwill

Salvation Army

Plato's Closet

and any secondhand, vintage, or handmade boutique.

But if you are looking online, I've already done some work for you.

Some great places to shop include:

HippieShop.com

Bohemian Closet

Etsy.com

Soul Flower.com

or even Craigslist and Ebay.

And happy shopping!

Be Grateful

"Live like you were dying." -Tim McGraw

"No day but today." -Jonathan Larson

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." -James Dean

We hear these things all the time. "Live for today..." "Make the most of every day..." But... do we all do this? Do we appreciate each day as if it is a golden gift? Because it is. Every day we breathe the air we breathe, see the sights we see, hear the sounds we hear, love the people we love... but how much do we really appreciate it?

I watched "Last Holiday" again. Now, say what you will about that movie: It's predictable... maybe. It's a chick flick... probably. But that movie touches me. Why? Because it is another one of those reminders that we should appreciate our life. Not put everything off until tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes?

Maybe I get too thoughtful over movies or songs or famous quotes or poetry or theatre or whatever... but my sensitive soul is moved by these things, especially the ones that remind me of all there is to be grateful for.

The world is beautiful. Yes, there is pain. Yes, there is hardship. But the world is beautiful. And I am so grateful to be in it. I need to remember this. We all need to remember this.

So often we live day to day not thinking of these things. We get up, go to work, pay the bills, sleep... get up, go to work, pay the bills, sleep... get up.......... okay, you get the picture.

But why?

Now don't get me wrong. I understand the importance of work and money in the world we live in now; in fact, I feel pretty darn good after a hard day's work. But I just know that there's more. There's more to life than working to get by... clipping coupons, working overtime... there's so much more.

I have to believe that I can have it all. I have to believe that I don't just have to get by. Why? Well, I guess it's because I believe that I wasn't meant to be on this Earth just to slave away and pay taxes along the way.

So as I continue on my journey to discover just what my reason for being here is, I will remember to be grateful. To look at each day as a gift, and not get caught up in the daily struggle. But instead, wake up each day and take a deep breath of air, and enjoy my life. Live my life to the fullest.

Live like I was dying I suppose. ;)

"There's only us, there's only this.

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

No other road, no other way...

NO DAY BUT TODAY!"

-RENT