Walk With Megan

I signed up to participate in the Walk MS event in Edmond on October 11.

I asked many people to donate or join my team and the response has been overwhelming. I knew I had friends, but I didn't realize how much you sweet people really cared about me.

My initial goal was $300. That was met within a few weeks.

So I upped the goal to $500. That was met within a few weeks.

So now I am trying to recruit people to join my team; Megan's Mates. When you join my team, you will get your own page you can send to people and ask them to support you! You will be surprised at how many people know someone who has MS.

If you can't make the walk, then donate to my team.

Click on the logo to either donate OR join my team.

Together we can make MS walk the plank! Arrrgg.

(I can't take credit for that clever saying. My friend Kristin H. thought of it.)

I Am A Painter

I decided something the other day.

"I am going to be a painter."

That decision came after a strand of thoughts I've had over the years.

"I'm just not that creative." I've used that sentence before and have heard others say it.

Growing up, my cousin and Aunt were crazy creative and still are! My Aunt used to own a little shop. In it she sold her crafty things and other's crafty things. As long as I can remember, the both of them were always making & creating things; they still are.

When I was younger, my Grandma would send us birthday cards. She would draw and/or paint an animal or character we were in to. I loved Snoopy and Calvin & Hobbes.

I used to think, "I wish I could paint cards like that."

A few years into my marriage, Matt drew me a picture of a flower he found in a magazine. It's in Chloe's room.

My dad has drawn a bunch of gerbera daisy pictures. They are my favorite flower. Three hang in Chloe's room.

I would say, "I wish I could draw like them."

When Chloe was born, I wanted a way to creatively commemorate her birth and life. So I began scrapbooking. I would see others creations and say, "I wish I was scrappy like them."

Just before Cooper was born, I got my dream camera. I began learning, snapping and creating pictures. I would see others photos and say, "I wish I could take pictures like that."

Then, a thought dawned on me the other day.

If God created the Heavens and Earth, you and me and mosquitoes and the fish in the oceans and the air we breath, the child I call Chloe, the half- tailed squirrel, Charlotte and the crab spider. If he goes to the effort to make the skies look different every single night for you and I to see, if he tells the sun when to rise and fall, if he gives the butterfly its color...

AND if we are ALL created in the image of the One who can and has done ALL of the above and more....

... then I can paint, I can draw, I can scrap, I can snap and I am crafty.

Don't expect my stuff to look like Picasso. You will be lucky if you see it.

Life Is Good.

I've not had a lot to say lately, hence the reason I haven't said anything.

My mom always said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

I haven't had anything nice to say nor anything mean.

Next week I'll attempt stepping back into my creative writing class.

It's possible the reason I've had nothing to say is because for the first time in a long long time, there is nothing dramatic going on in my life!!!

Maybe that's what this feeling is. The feeling of normal? Noooo, could that be possible?

Let's figure this out shall we? My butterfly bushes are blooming and there was a butter on them the other day, as the above pictures will show. There was also a cute little crab spider hiding amongst the buds and although not normal a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

'Charlotte,' the other backyard spider, has been creating her web every night. Again possibly just pleasant and not 'normal like.'

The squirrel with half a tail is still hangin' in there, although ventures along the wires is becoming increasingly difficult with half a tail. The neighbors annoying, yet neglected dog has gone away. That could just be miraculous and not so much normal. The weather is cooling off and that means the mosquitoes will be disappearing, which is erring on the side of normal.

The last thing that might indicate normalcy?
We got a new coffee pot.

So it's official, things are becoming normal again. And although I do not want to be a normal Christian, I do ask for peace every once in a while. Sooo....

I dare say, things are g-g-g-gooo...........

(deep breathe)

Things are good.

Slide Safety

Matt takes the kids to the park 98.9% of the time. When he does, he goes down the slide with Cooper or Chloe on his lap and sometimes with both on his lap. Kids love it, Matt loves it, everyone has a grand ol' time....

.... A few weeks ago, I either read a story or heard a story, I can't remember. The gist was a warning for parents.

A dad was going down a slide with his child in his lap. The child's shoe stuck to the side of the slide and the force of the dad behind the child caused the child's leg to break.

That makes total sense. It was something neither Matt nor myself had ever thought of. BUT rubber and those slides are not friends, there is a lot of friction. (bad joke)

Last night, I received an email from a friend. She told me her 21 month old son broke his leg while sliding with his brother.

It was the same scenario I had read about! Shoe versus slide and someone sliding behind the child.

My friend has two little boys, ages 3 and 21 months and is expecting her third in a month!

I know this is something we no longer do at the park. If Matt goes down the slide with the kids he holds their legs.

Just thought I would share because I'm sure siblings or parents going down slides with the kids is a common occurrence like it was with us....

... remember 'Safety First.'

BBQ Sauce

I knew a guy in college who hated any food that was white. Now there are a few foods that fall into that category, for example mayo, he wouldn't touch. Another white food is ranch dressing. I always thought him to be weird, but this confirmed my beliefs of his weirdness, until Cooper was born.

Recently I have decided I no longer like Ranch dressing, plus it isn't that good for you.

But most people think all foods are better with ranch. I beg to differ. I would argue most everything is better with BBQ sauce!

Let me enlighten you...

Pizza, potatoes(grilled or baked), chicken(grilled, baked, nugget-ized, stripped & kabob'd), hamburgers or beef in general, okra and the obvious choice; french fries.

Now BBQ sauce is like a good tube of chap stick, everyone has their first choice.

But I recently gave Country Bob's a try and I was surprised; it was pretty good.

Matt makes the hamburger patties around our house because I don't like to touch meat. He put Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce in the meat prior to grilling and the patties tasted much better. We also bought one of those rotisserie chickens from Wal-Mart, baked two potatoes and used CB's as our dipping sauce. Pretty tasty.

Anyways, go to the store and try something new. You can go to their website here and get a coupon for a free bottle to try!

A company who says 'Christ is our CEO' is a company I will support.

Past or Present Tense Savior

So a thought has been brewing in my mind lately. We know people, who shall remain anonymous do to the nature of their work, that work to ensure the safety of Christians in parts of the world where being one will get you killed. They are wonderful people that have such a heart for God, and a heart for persecuted Christians.

Last week(ish), I finished the book Crazy Love by my new favorite author Francis Chan, who by the way has a new book out. The very last chapter talked about being obsessed for Christ. He told stories of people who quit their jobs to do missionary work, a woman who lives in a poverty stricken country to raise a child because the country does not allow her to adopt or the man who uses his social security check to feed the homeless from the bed of his pickup, oh and the pickup is his home.

I read stories of those that are truly obsessed for Christ and I begin to feel unworthy in so many aspects.

So my anonymous friends brought over a story about a girl named Fatima. Fatima was killed by her brother because she became a Christian and he found out. She was killed using torturous methods. The story makes you sick.

Fatima wrote poems on the Internet about her Savior; Christ. Throughout her writings she uses that particular name-Savior.

Our friends asked what I thought about the story. At first, I didn't think much, I knew this happens more often than I like to think about. But once I let the story into my heart and permeate the hollow spots, I realized something.

The way I use the term Savior and the way Fatima used the term Savior seemed to be slightly different.

She knew one day her life may come to an end because of what she believed, BUT she knew her Savior would save her. When I mean save her, I mean save her from Hell from the beatings from death.

When I think of my Savior, I see Him as the one who saved me. I use that term almost like Christ has done, past tense. If I am being honest, I sometimes don't use that name to reference the present.

I don't know where this was going, but it has been on my heart a lot lately. Maybe it will strike a cord with some of you. And then again maybe not.

Take What You're Givin'

When you're hungry & life throws you a birdfeeder but you are not a bird,

...you just have to put on your mask & pretend that you are.