“Inspiring Blogger” Award

Aquileana nominated me for the Inspiring Blogger Award. I feel so honored that someone thought my blog was inspiring enough to nominate me for me! Thank you so so much! It’s the blogger community that makes me keep writing! Love you all!

The Award Rules for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award are:
1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.
2) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

–Miss Lauryn Marie: In My (Not So) Humble Opinion
– Yajaira Hernandez Trejo
– Bethany: Journey of a Rose
– JcCee Watkins Barney
– The Liberated Polyglot
– Dre Dee: Pole, Yoga, Fitness
– KJ Grace: With a Cup of Tea
– An Inspired Life
– 1ntothem1nd
– Diary of anew: Trying to start over – if possible
–

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Blogging 101: Say Hello to the Neighbors

Today’s assignment: Today’s assignment: follow five new topics in the Reader and five new blogs.

I currently have one topic that I am following on the reader, which is “Blogging 101.” I chose the following five topics to follow and I picked one blog from each topic – someone that I just followed today, and not someone I’m already following (Just a disclaimer to my current followers!):

Relationships
iamcharlies

Inspiration
i wrote in blood

Beauty
Broke Beauty Blogger On A Budget

Book Reviews
The Night Owl’s Guide to Reading

Cooking
Earthen Love

Relationships: everyone has such different perspectives on relationships: what works and what doesn’t work. I wanted to follow this topic to read about how other couples handle obstacles in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Joshua (my bf) and us two are the only ones who know how to deal with each other, but, as weird as it sounds, I like reading about this stuff. And not even in the sense of I’m looking for advice, but fresh perspectives are the best to read.

Inspiration: we all need a little pick me up from time to time, so why not look to the inspirational blogs? I love reading inspirational quotes and stories online.

Beauty: I feel like I am a terrible female most of the time. Like, I don’t know many things about beauty. At all. I have a few friends who works in that industry that I’m constantly asking questions to. I’m almost 29 and I cannot curl my hair. I own two make up brushes (given to me by a friend) but I cannot ever remember how to use them. I only wear mascara and eye liner… Maybe. Frankly, I don’t particularly like how foundation feels on my face, so I never wear it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll dress up from time to time and look presentable (well at least Josh thinks I am), but I don’t purchase a lot of beauty products. I don’t know what good quality for my skin – I’m extremely picky about what goes on my face. I stopped using any kind of harsh medications, soaps and lotions about three years ago and my skin has never looked better. Also, I don’t like spending a ton of money on things I rarely use. I’m hoping to find some “lazy cheap” tricks.

Book Reviews: I love reading. I am an English major after all. My dream house WILL have a library. No question about that. So what better way to find good books than by finding blogs who post book reviews?? why didn’t I think of this before??

Cooking: I might love reading, but I love cooking even more. I’ll manage to burn toast or a frozen pizza somehow, but give me a complicated twelve page recipe and I’m good to go! I love the challenge of cooking difficult meals – they are always the best, though! And they are definitely the most rewarding.

Uncertainty

 Weekly Writing Challenge: 1,000 Words | Uncertainty.

In life, I am faced with choices. Some I later regret in life. Like dating that boy who Mom hated, but I did what I wanted anyway and ended up with a broken heart and an “I told you so.” Seriously, always listen to Mom. She knows best. I wish I knew this when I was younger. Some we look back on and laugh and wonder how we ever thought that was a good idea. But each decision I made taught me a lesson: a lesson of life, of love, of friendship…

The feeling of uncertainty overwhelms me often. I do not like uncertainty. But my curiosity usually gets the best of me. I see a tunnel, not knowing there it leads, but I’m going to wander down it anyway. More often than not, I regret it. Sort of. I regret not knowing better, yet, at the same time, I knew deep down that I needed to learn something. I don’t give my self-conscious enough credit. It teaches me lessons I didn’t know I needed to learn. I dated people who I know were bad for me. But I wanted to feel accepted. I wanted to belong. No one wants to be single. No one wants to be the one at the dance sitting at the table in the corner, hoping no one comments on the solidarity, because she didn’t have a date to the dance. Nope. Nope, definitely not talking from experience… nope. So, I’d walk down the darkened path, holding hands, but not too tight: tight enough to know I wasn’t alone, but loose enough to let go once I knew I deserved better. My Reason kicked in eventually.

I never wanted someone to define me.  It was easy to walk in the dark down a mysterious path with someone. I knew there would be an exit at the other end. I didn’t know when, and I didn’t know where, but I knew it would be there. I knew it would show up at some point, so I always looked for the exit.

Life has been an incredible unpredictable journey. Bruises and scars define my life, but they do not restrict my journey. And sometimes, life just might surprise you. And you might just fall in love and find someone to hold onto tightly without thinking about letting go.

Everyday is a journey. Embrace it.

It Ain’t Nothin But The Truth

To say “I don’t know where my inspiration comes from” would be a lie.

A big fat lie. Everyone knows. No one tells.
Who wants to be that blogger searching for pity or praise? Am I being too humble? (Is that pretentious to even suggest???) Or am I just a big coward hiding being a computer screen?

My inspiration comes from life experiences. Should be obvious, right? But not always. Every single poem is about someone. Although, most likely, that person doesn’t know it. Or probably give two hoots about it. And that’s fine with me. I don’t blog for them anyway. I blog for me. I blog to write down my life experiences to maybe reflect upon them in my wiser years. And for whomever finds me interesting enough to know about my boring everyday life.

Also, I’m funny. Or so I’m told.

Many life experiences remain undocumented,  sadly. Many thoughts and opinions stay locked up in my head – on repeat until my brain fixates itself on something else. Usually cheesecake. Or baking. Or something that will undoubtedly make me fat.

This, my friends, is why I work out.

But yes, the truth. You’ve been waiting for it, and it ain’t nothin but the truth. But I’m afraid of vulnerability. I mean, who isn’t right? Seems like a silly unnecessary thing to state. Saying it makes it real. 

I might be only twenty-seven, but I’ve been through some major life experiences. None of which are publicly documented. And most of which many people have never experienced. And every time I try to write about something so personal –  so emotional – I clam up and stop. That delete button needs to disappear. How ironic?

My struggles and triumphs will become faded distant memories if never recorded. I’m never the one to make promises I cannot keep. So I’ll leave you with a real expectation:

I’ll probably be drunk on red wine when I decide to show my real self. Not that I’m fake now; I’m just vague. None of my posts have been fictional, although I wish some were. So here’s to using my blog as a blog.

Who knew that’s what these were for??

Daily Prompt: All About Me

From the Daily Writing Prompt: “Explain why you chose your blog’s title and what it means to you”

My last name never appealed to me. Whenever I say my last name, my mouth becomes this tainted hole with remnants of nail polish remover lingering inside: pungent, bitter, venomous. Bad memories plant themselves into my mind and expand and fill my head with grey clouds and rain and empty bottles of wine. I concluded only with one thought: expunge my last name from my life. I craved the sunflowers, jazz music, and chocolate ice cream dripping down my arm on a humid day. Thus, “Megan Elizabeth” emerged.

Daily Prompt: Audience of One

Picture the one person in the world you really wish were reading your blog. Write her or him a letter.

Grama and Grampa:
I catch my eyes staring at the date on the top of my cell phone. Gears start shifting in my brain. Slowly at first, then ramping up to high speed–turning so fast like the child who pedaled her bicycle too fast and can no longer keep her feet on the pedals–calculating the amount of time you’ve been gone. With every accomplishment I’ve made, every failure I’ve learned from, every step I’ve walked, I’ve wished you were here.

I’m more candid and uncensored now than I was back in 2005. I was a child. Sheltered. Naive. I’ve become a grown up. Or at least pretend to be. What does “being an adult” even mean? You would know. I would ask you, and you would tell me. I vote, pay my taxes and have my own insurance. That counts right? I wish you could read my blog. I could only hope that you’d be proud. You’d always sit and listen to my juvenile stories and smiled as I read them. Reading them over now, I shake my head and laugh at how awful the words incoherently fit together.

I miss you both being here. I miss the way you always had Oreos waiting for me when I came over. Holidays don’t make as much sense now that you’re gone. Easter comes and goes without the warm Florida breezes and chameleon chasing around the house. The Thanksgiving deviled eggs will never be as good as yours. These Christmas lights fade into the concrete jungle I live in. Meaningless. Colorless.

I just hope that somehow, someway, maybe in another life, that I will be able to see you again.

With all my love,
“Pumpkin”