The weekend is my playtime

Shelving & Shoes & Signs, oh my!

Posted on by Megan

Day 2

[click here to see Day 1]

Saturday, I introduced Noelle to the shoe Heaven that is Nordstrom Rack. (It only took us 3 doors and 2 stairwells to find our way out of the parking garage…) Nordstrom Rack was having their one day only Large Size Shoe Event which I typically have great luck at, but, sadly, the selection for my size was a bit meager in Dallas. Noelle, on the other hand, had great luck finding gorgeous shoes – most of which were black sandals. 🙂

After browsing through some other shops, we headed off to meet Adam and his brother at IKEA so Noelle could buy some shelving units. Miraculously, we were in and out of IKEA in under an hour and a half! We’re so efficient. We Adam and his brother loaded the shelves into our car and off we headed to an uneventful lunch at Corner Bakery.

Adam channeled his inner Devo in IKEA

After lunch, we said our goodbyes and Noelle and I headed to NorthPark. Essentially, Mecca for shopaholics. We waltzed in and out of stores, fondled handbags we couldn’t afford – Balenciaga for me, Cole Haan for Noelle, swooned over the works of art in Carolina Herrera – and the Argentinean salesman, and obsessed over everything in Kate Spade. Life was grand.

MY Balenciaga Seashore Damier Tote

That evening, we decided to take a walking photography tour of downtown Dallas. May I just say that I fell in LOVE with the downtown? It’s so retro, yet modern and I just ate it up!

After a few blocks, we encountered the getaway of a newlywed couple outside of a hotel. We stopped to watch as the sweet couple were escorted out of the hotel by a trumpet and saxophone playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. We watched as they said their goodbyes and hugged their families and I teared up a bit knowing that in just a few months that will be me. It was so sweet and so happy.

As we continued to meander through downtown, we came across lots of awesome vintage neon signs and learned that we have a mutual appreciation for them.

There was also an incident with a security guard in a bank building, because Noelle wanted a picture of the lobby chandelier. He left his desk in the lobby to come outside and tell us that because we were on the same side of the street as the building we couldn’t take straight up pictures of buildings.

His reasoning? Heightened security after 9/11.

My response to his reasoning? Yeah, we look like the typical terrorists.

Day 3 to come…

I MET JEN LANCASTER!!!!

Posted on by Megan

This weekend, I went to Dallas with someone I met on the Internet. Twitter to be specific. I came back alive.

Let’s start at the very beginning – a very good place to start…

Noelle and I met on Twitter. I thought the tweet that sparked this friendship referenced my father’s grocery store and how I always choose self-checkout in stores for the nostalgia, but I’d be lying. In fact, the first tweet conversation I could find was about a kid who loves bacon. Which would prove prophetic for this trip…

Several months ago, when our favorite author, Jen Lancaster, posted the book tour for her newest book, “If You Were Here”, and I saw that she was going to come to Dallas, I innocently recommended that we road trip it for the weekend. I never thought it would actually happen, but it did and I’m ecstatic! We decided to make it a long weekend full of shopping and eating with no regard to calories.

Day 1

We found an awesome boutique hotel called Hotel Indigo, that was pretty much a beach cottage in the heart of downtown Dallas. Upon arrival, and after a brief stint wherein Noelle drove on the shoulder of the interstate, the bellman asked if he could help us with our luggage. “Yes,” we replied. Quickly followed by Noelle saying, “Don’t forget the tripod!” Because who DOESN’T need a tripod when staying in a hotel room with someone you met on Twitter? [She actually wanted a good night shot of our room’s view]

We loved our blueberry room with pineapple bedding and polka dot couch and didn’t even mind the lack of hot water early Saturday morning. Wait, I should rephrase that…Noelle didn’t mind the lack of hot water Saturday morning. I had hot water, as it came back on right after she finished getting ready.

View this post on Instagram

Cutest. Hotel. Ever!

A post shared by Megan Taylor (@megtay) on

Friday night, after we had checked into the hotel, we headed to…

Meet.Jen.Lancaster!!!

Noelle had called earlier in the week to reserve books and signing tickets for us. Group “A” tickets! Let me just say, the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble rocked! They were very accommodating to us since we drove from out-of-state for the signing.

We arrived at the signing about 45 minutes before it was scheduled to begin and people-watched/eavesdropped on the conversations around us. An employee came around to get personalization information for the signing, the majority of folks, including us, just wanted their name.

Everyone except the woman two seats down from us. She had approximately four tattoos about Jesus and religion on her arms and one on her calf. When the employee asked her how she wanted Jen to personalize her book she responded, “Promise we’ll best friends for infinity and beyond.”

Then there were the stalker/brown-nosers of the group who brought Jen plaid gift-wrapped boxes and luxury lotions. Yeah, you guys suck, even if you were carrying a gorgeous Michael Kors handbag and wore a fantabulous green and turquoise dress.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t convince [incredibly gorgeous, super-sweet, and hilarious] Jen to grab dinner and drinks with us that night [had she obliged, I’m certain WE would have become her best friends for infinity and beyond], but we still enjoyed a great meal at Maggiano’s Little Italy in NorthPark – where we were seated in a cozy and slightly romantic semi-circular booth.

View this post on Instagram

Martini nightcap…

A post shared by Megan Taylor (@megtay) on

Days 2 and 3 to come…

Year in Review

Posted on by Megan

Last year around this time, I wrote a year in review post full of random observations and comparisons about my life. What better time than a rainy, dreary Saturday to write the 2011 version? Plus, after 2 Jazzercise classes this morning – umm, Ballet Body is no joke! – and trying to make a substantial dent in my DVR, which is happily sitting at 92% full right now, I figure I could use a little mental and creative stimulation!

I now present 2010 vs. 2011 (thus far)…

  • 2010: Cars with random sayings written on their back window should be taken off the road. Today’s quote? “Porno Country” written in white shoe polish.
    2011: I’m sooo over drivers who drive slower than the posted speed. 10 in a 30 is not ok, but thanks for finally getting out of my way.
  • 2010: I dabbled in designing my own stationery this year. I had 5 clients.
    2011: I’m obsessed with the gorgeous clipart from pugly pixel! You’ll find that a lot of them are used throughout my blog 🙂
  • 2010:  Watching Food Network in bed is the best way to unwind and head to dreamland.
    2011:   I received an iPad for Christmas (Thanks, Adam!). I now drift off into dreamland playing Mahjong.
  • 2010: Season 9 of American Idol was horribly over-hyped. Can we just go ahead and give Crystal Bowersox the title?
    2011:  What season is it this year?
  • 2010: Ellen DeGeneres is the newest American Idol judge. Watch out, she’s about to take over the World.
    2011: Ellen never fails to make me laugh, then cry, then laugh again as I watch her talk show.
  • 2010: Using “tweet” as a verb is acceptable, so is using “tweep” as a noun.
    2011:  Umm, “OMG” was just added to the Oxford Dictionary. I feel like everything I learned in English class was a lie.
  • 2010: Watching crazy housewives act like high school mean girls [or mafia members] all season and then meet up for a reunion long after the filming has wrapped is good television.
    2011: Does anyone else see something wrong with Jim and Alexis’ relationship or is it just me? So. Wrong. Give her a voice and get your own dang orange juice, puh-lease.
  • 2010: Long, late night phone calls/video chats with your boyfriend, who moved 8 hours away last May, are my favorite way to end a long day.
    2011:  Ditto, but in a little over 6.5 months we will be married! And living in the same zipcode – yet to be determined.
  • 2010: My iPhone is my single greatest investment ever. How did I survive without it? [see also: Words with Friends]
    2011:  The iPad is the single greatest invention ever. It’s practically attached to my hip when I’m at home. Is there anything it can’t do?
  • 2010: Despite hearing how cheesy it is or remembering the unfortunate neon leotards from the 80′s that many still [wrongly] associate with it, Jazzercise is the single best workout I’ve ever done, not to mention the only one I’ve stuck with for over 4 months without complaint. I? LOVE. IT!
    2011:  In case you haven’t noticed, I’m obsessed with Jazzercise so much that it’s been mentioned on my blog at least 7 times. I will stop you in the street and tell you about it, if you’ll let me. LOVE. IT!
  • 2010: Twitter is how I make it through my work day.
    2011:  Try as I might to not get sucked into the addiction that is Twitter, I’ve failed. And I sometimes clog my followers feeds with senseless live tweets for pageants, award shows and documentaries about ferrets. Truly sorry, y’all!
  • 2010: Since when did Facebook become the place for High School “spirit weeks”. I don’t care about the color of your underwear, your birthplace, or the celebrity you most resemble. What happened to original status updates??
    2011:  The Social Network was the best movie of the last year hands down. I wonder how many of the applications and games Zuckerberg uses on his profile and if he’s one of those every 5 minute updaters?
  • 2010: Cupcakes from Cupcakes on Kavanaugh are a delectable treat.
    2011:  Gelato for ZAZA makes me happy, especially Honey Yogurt.
  • 2010: Why have I not seen “This Is It”? <—- Still true, one year later.
    2011: Why have I not seen “Gone with the Wind”?
  • 2010: Jazzercise is my new [and hopefully permanent] stress relief.
    2011:  A day without Jazzercise most often leads to a less perky version of myself. Need. It.
  • 2010: Girls’ nights, with friends you can be truly yourself around, are few and far between.
    2011:  Still true, but I’m basking in my solo life since it will soon be coming to an end. Then I get to annoy Adam every. single. day. with my perkiness, random thoughts, and Bravo reality shows!! I know he’s excited.
  • 2010:  Despite how much of a mistake they were in the 90′s, Hammer Pants are back. Did we not learn anything?
    2011:  Did you hear? Fanny packs are coming back. Which reminds me of the neon green one I wore on family vacations in the early 90s. I think it had “Marlboro” or some other brand of cigarette written across the front. My dad was a grocer and I was the walking underage billboard for cigarettes. [No one in my family smokes]
  • 2010: Did I mention I’m going to my favorite beach this summer?!?!?!
    2011:  Did I mention I’m getting MARRIED in October?!?! CAN. NOT. WAIT!

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Posted on by Megan

Earthquakes have been kind of the “thing” to talk about around these here parts, because over the past week Arkansas has experienced 54 of them. People have clogged up my Twitter and Facebook feeds with statuses asking who else felt the most recent one, how big the last one was, and if anyone knew the cause of the sudden surge we’ve experienced. I’ve yet to get worked up about the quakes since I haven’t felt one, but that all changed last night…

After spending all afternoon watching the Oscars, I got ready for bed as I normally do – washed my face, brushed my teeth, put on my PJs and turned on my newly installed bedroom ceiling fan – thank you apartment upgrades! Then I went to weigh myself, because I had forgotten to do so earlier in the day [I knew I’d be setting myself up for disappointment weighing at night, but I did it anyway].

And that’s when the earth shook.

Let me tell you, there is NOTHING more disconcerting than stepping on a scale at the exact same moment you are experiencing your first earthquake.

Someone has a cruel sense of humor.

**********

There are reports that we will continue to feel aftershocks over the next week, which got me to thinking…

Who’s to say Arkansas doesn’t have this to look forward to over the next few weeks?

A Kitchen Experiment

Posted on by Megan

If you know me in real life, or are a regular reader of my blog, chances are you’ve either read about my mother’s famous Dishpan Cookies (aka Crack Cookies) or tried them for yourself and agreed.

Cookies

Well, kids. Hold on to your seats, because you’re in for a treat! Tonight? I created Dishpan Muffins. Yep, you read right. Muffins!

Last week I ran across a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins on the blog How Sweet It Is. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had a solid foundation from which to create my version: Dishpan Muffins.

I mixed and measured. Poured and baked. Cooled and ate. And upon trying my first bite I referred to myself as a culinary genius.

Obviously, I don’t have self-esteem problems.

These muffins are moist, sweet, and have a lovely hint of spice to them. Promise me you’ll make them immediately, okay?

Promise?

Good.

Dishpan Muffins
inspired by How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk (any kind will do)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup coconut
  • 1/3 cup cornflakes + a little extra for sprinkling on top
  • Raw turbinado sugar (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Add oats to a bowl and add milk. Let soak for 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the first few steps of the muffins.
  3. In a large bowl, combine egg and brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel in color.
  4. Add in vanilla and butter, whisking well. Try to smooth the batter as much as possible – there still may be some small butter chunks.
  5. Add flour, oat mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until smooth.
  6. Fold in chocolate chips, coconut, and cornflakes .
  7. Line a muffin tin with liners and pour about 1/4 cup batter into each line.
  8. Sprinkle the tops with raw turbinado sugar and slightly crushed cornflakes
  9. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through.

Yield: 15 muffins

Sunday Shares: Video Edition

Posted on by Megan

This week it seems like every click I make takes me to an awesome video. I honestly can’t remember a week where I’ve found more videos worth sharing in a week. So today, because it’s Sunday and this is my blog, I bring you yet another installment of Sunday Shares.

I’m positive this will become Adam’s theme song. He can thank me later.

The first time I visited Adam after he moved to Austin over a year and a half ago, he took my to Top Notch. I had no idea the significance of it at the time, because I hadn’t seen the movie Dazed and Confused. Immediately after eating, we go home and he forces me to we watch it. I’ll say that I enjoyed it, but I haven’t watched it again. This is the 120 second version of it, because you know kids are too ADD to sit through the entire thing. Kids these days, sigh.

“I Gotta Feeling” by The Black-Eyed Peas is one of my favorite Jazzercise warm-ups and even though I may not be a fan of country music, I am a bluegrass fan on occasion. So Black-Eyed Peas + Bluegrass = WIN on my blog.

The year is 1994 and the co-hosts of the Today Show on NBC had no idea what the Internent was.

And finally, as a newly engaged gal who likes have fun and dance to 80’s Whitney Houston, I can only hope that when Adam and I reach this couple’s age we are still as cheesy as we are today.

Wintertainment

Posted on by Megan

See what I did there? Winter + Entertainment = Wintertainment. I’m a genius. Or bored.

Either way, the cold of winter is officially here and with it comes stretches of gray days, snow and/or ice and temperatures that are dangerously close to sub-zero. Yes, it gives me an excuse to wear scarves from my huge collection with my favorite pea coat, but it also causes me to start my days cursing as I open the door and head to work every morning.

Being a southerner, we take snow much more  cautiously than most – meaning schools cancel as soon as the first flake falls from the sky, drivers go no faster than 5 mph on clear roads, and 2 days prior to the frightful forecasted snow grocery stores are sold out of milk, eggs, and bread. You’d think we were preparing for the end of the world. Or something.

These snow days leave many paralyzed in their homes playing games with their family – until that gets old after a couple of hours – then catching up on DVRed shows or watching movies while snacking on popcorn (and cheese dip). Because of the snow days we’ve experienced in my neck of the woods over the last 2 weeks I thought it would be helpful to give you a list of movies that cure my stir crazy winter blues.

 

1. The Sound of Music – If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know this movie holds a special place in my heart, but it’s also the most perfect movie ever made – in my opinion – and one that I never tire of watching. Oh, who am I kidding? I quote and sing-a-long with it alone in my apartment. 🙂

2. Tortilla Soup – My favorite movie you’ve probably never heard of. Like Mexican food? Like romantic comedies? Like romantic comedies revolving around Mexican Food starring Hector Elizondo and also featuring Raquel Welch? Then you must  run out and find this movie. Just don’t watch it on an empty stomach, because you will watch it, you will get hungry, and you will wish you had smell-a-vision.

3. The Social Network – Yes, it JUST was released on DVD, but it’s easily become one of favorite all-time movies. Not only does it tell the incredible story of Facebook’s origins, but it also has an impeccable score. Plus, Jesse Eisenberg reminds me of Adam during the coding scenes throughout the movie. And, upon seeing in the theater, Adam jumped up and clicked his heels in glee walking back to the car.

He’s also going to kill me for posting that.

4. Father of the Bride – Perhaps it’s the fact that right now? My life currently mimics this movie. But if I’m being honest, I’ve always seen parts of Adam and me in the movie throughout our relationship and now it’s just magnified because I’m actually planning a wedding, making the guest list, finding a caterer, finding locations, and finding my Frank.

5. Chocolat – If you haven’t seen this before we can’t be friends. No, seriously. We can’t. That said, this is my go to movie when I’m tired of everything else in my collection. It’s like you take a vacation to France without leaving your couch. Must be the chocolate…or maybe the Johnny Depp factor 😉

What movies are your go-to favorites for curing the winter blues?

Sunday Shares

Posted on by Megan

 

Friday was my team’s Christmas party. It consisted of sugary cookies, meat candy, cheese dip, CatchPhrase, and dancing. And when I say dancing, I mean Wii Just Dance 1 and 2 and The Michael Jackson Experience (minus the plastic surgery and children). For the record, playing these games immediately after downing a plate of Christmas potluck goodies is not the best idea and since we played the dance games for 4 hours straight my feet still haven’t recovered.

I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my boring weekend of sitting on my couch wrapping presents and catching up on DVR, so it’s time to update you on my weekly Web Surf and Blog Stalk. Presenting this week’s Sunday Shares:

  • Damn You Auto Correct! – If you’re like me and own an iPhone, chances are you’ve had it “correct” your text messages. My current favorite one for my phone is changing morning to morbid and the to Tge. Nevertheless, this website compiles the best corrections as submitted by readers for your reading pleasure.
  • Carol of the Bed Intruder – Admit it, you LOVED the Bed Intruder song. Well, you better hide your kids, hide your wife, because Liberty University has turned it into a Carol and it’s fantastic. Run and tell that, homeboy!
  • Can this picture go on Facebook? – So technically this is over a week old, but it slipped through the cracks last week and deserves to be posted. My tweep @audcole made a very useful and hilarious flowchart to use before posting pictures on Facebook. I suggest you open it and share it with everyone you know.

Sunday Shares

Posted on by Megan

I’m done with graduate school for the semester and I had a virtually free Sunday afternoon to blog stalk while listening to Sting’s Symphonicities album. Which, by the way, you must have a listen – it’s such a unique take on some of his greatest hits and I highly recommend! Your ears will thank you, I promise.

Anyway, time to blog stalk means time to share with you a few of my favorite finds over the last week or so, in a little feature I like to call Sunday Shares.

 

Why I love to hate the Longhorns

Posted on by Megan

[or: Why you should never skimp on a statue budget]

Saturday night my dear friend Sarah IM’d me about a certain sports discussion board thread had gained her attention for over an hour.

Over an hour? Really?

I needed such a distraction because Adam had just left on a Transatlantic flight to Ireland and my thoughts have been known to go to the worst possible scenario when I have nothing else to think about. Plus there was this thing called grad school that I’ve been known to procrastinate. So with just over an hour until the Razorbacks schooled the Gamecocks, I clicked. And oh how happy I was that I did, because you just can’t make this crap up.

First, Sarah directed me to this: New Longhorns Legend Walk

Basically, directly behind University of Texas Co-Op a Legends Walk of the most legendary Longhorn athletes has been constructed.

Sounds grand enough, right?

Upon closer inspection you’ll notice that (based on the sport)  every. single. statue. is exactly the same, except for skin color. Same facial features even. And if you’re a basketball legend you’re lucky enough to look somewhat like Michael Jordan, and, in some cases, a white Michael Jordan. Or, if you’re lucky enough you might even get a wig! I mean, how awesome is THAT?

The discussion board thread that stole her attention for over an hour can be found here: UT Football, Basketball, Baseball & Golf statues behind Co-op

As you scroll through the 20 some odd pages you’ll see that people started creating Photoshop mashups of the statues in various scenarios, which got our wheels turning. Sarah and I started thinking of movie scenes, posters and pictures to put the statues in. I’d surprise her with a few ideas of my own and email my photoshopped masterpiece to her or she’d send me a picture link and I’d get to work on it, since she didn’t have Photoshop.

We continued this exercise all through the second half of the Razorback game and came up with what we thought were genius ideas. So genius in fact, that we found a similar thread on WooPig.net to post our creations on.

It’s possible that you don’t visit WooPig.net, or are too lazy to click through and find these lovely masterpieces. I totally understand, because who has time to find and read random sports discussion boards? Apparently Sarah and I do.

These Photoshop masterpieces deserve to be shared with the Interwebs.

At least in our opinion they do.

Before I share these, I need to say thanks to the UT Co-Op:

Thanks for funding the most hideous statues in the history of sports statues. This Hog fan sure loves an excuse to laugh at your expense. And yes, I’m fully aware the SWC no longer exists, but my parents raised me right.

OMG that there twister's gonna git me!!!

 

Run Away!

 

Why so serious?

 

Save me! Nutt's a'gonna git me.

Sunday Shares

Posted on by Megan

I was in a Cheese Dip Coma for most of Saturday, because I became a card carrying member of the Southern Cheese Dip Academy. Yep, that’s right, the Southern Cheese Dip Academy. It’s quite possibly my proudest achievement to date.

Even if I had to buy my way in.

This Cheese Dip Coma lasted into Sunday, but because Adam had to head back to Austin early this morning (9:30 is early for a Sunday, right?), I got an early start on Grad School work, in turn providing me with ample blog-stalking and random Internet-browsing time this afternoon. As a favor to my blog readers, all 10 of you (and that’s being generous) here’s a few sites worth sharing.

  • Bank Drive-Thrus – The Perfect Place To Needlepoint! – Noelle is a new IRL [In Real Life] friend that I found through Twitter over a year ago. In this post, she may or may not talk about me and the opening of the new Little Rock Anthropologie store. In reading this post, I may or may not have laughed like a hyena.
  • Recycled Magazine Flower Tutorial – This may be the cutest idea ever for old magazines. After Adam had the audacity to walk over to my side of the bed this weekend and then point out the amount of magazines strewn on the floor, it might be in my best interest to do something with them.
  • Unsuck It – Are you stuck in a corporate job with co-workers that use annoying buzz words as often as possible? This is the site for you.
  • Pugly Pixel – Graphics geeks like me will LOVE the free resources available to them on this blog. What are you waiting for? Go!

Grocery Lessons

Posted on by Megan

See that window? That BIG window at the top of the picture? That’s the window that inspired me today as my mom and I enjoyed a day of shopping.

Growing up my dad owned a grocery store, Taylor’s Grocery, which eventually became Taylor’s Big Star. This grocery store was a part of my family for most of my adolescence. As a kid, it was AWESOME to have the store opened after hours by your dad to run wild in & get everything for “free”. Frozen pizza, popcorn, coke, magazines, comics. That store was my oyster. My sister and I were even the store mascots during the annual Chicken and Egg parade.

(Yep, my hometown’s summer festival celebrated poultry. Laugh. It. Up.) See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

I learned many things by being the daughter (and mascot) of a grocer:

I learned the importance of properly sacking groceries, a skill that I still value to this day. You want squashed bread about as much as you want soap flavored apples, which is about as much as you want broken eggs, right? Never underestimate the importance of sacking your groceries. Ever.

I learned how to efficiently scan barcodes. Well, when the scanner cooperates. Which also explains why I almost always choose the self-checkout line when the option is available. That line takes me back to a childhood of playing on the scanners after-hours at the family grocery store.

I learned, thankfully not from first-hand experience, that those meat slicers in the deli can be awfully dangerous. I also learned that pricing guns aren’t dangerous and can actually be a lot of fun to use.

(No wonder why my dad always let me price stuff when I asked. Hmm…must’ve been the free labor thing. Though my parents would never encourage free labor. WOULD YOU mom & dad?)

I learned independence, because as a toddler my mom was known to wake up and see me toddling down the driveway to see daddy. Yep, I was an early riser. An early-riser who missed her dad. Thank goodness it was a straight shot, literally, to the grocery store from our house and that I never made it further than the driveway before getting caught.

I learned where to find my dog, Sugar, a Cocker Spaniel, when he wasn’t in his pen. 9 times out of 10 he had jumped the fence and went to visit my dad at the grocery store.

But back to this blog inspiring window…

At the back of the store there was a small window, behind that window was the most fun area of the store. A tiny private “office”, if you will. To get to this office you had to climb up some stairs. Often these stairs were blocked by pallets or boxes, but that never got in our way. My sister and I would go up to this office with a box of Gushers or Fruit Roll-Ups, a few Archie comic books, some crayons and coloring books, and a fruit juice jug of some kind. We would feel like the queens of the store.

(I’m generalizing here. Maddie may not have felt this way, in which case she can clarify her feelings in the comments.)

From that little-bitty window we could see everything. A woman thumbing through magazines, a man picking fruit, every.single.person that walked through the doors.

Unfortunately, we never witnessed some of the more interesting happenings of the store from that window. Like the time a guy decided to steal cigarettes, so he stuffed them down his pants then ran out of the store with the manager following him, leaving a trail of cigarettes along the way. Not to mention losing his pants in the pursuit as well. Or so I’m told.

But I loved everyday that we got to sit up in that “office” watching over the store. From that window we could see exactly what a small town is about. Smiles to strangers, friendships, support, gossip, laughter, family, and eating.

Being the daughter of a grocer taught me so much more than the importance sacking and scanning. It taught me the importance of a community that sticks together through thick and thin.

Karaoke Memories

Posted on by Megan

When I was 2 or 3, my cousin introduced me to Janet Jackson and I danced and sang my way through “Nasty” and “Lately”. My parents further encouraged this behavior by taping it using their VHS Camcorder. They were cool like that.

When I was about 7, I remember receiving my own personal tape player and microphone set-up, perfect for rapping to MC Hammer or Vanilla Ice on my parents’ screened in back porch. I was dope.

When I was about 12, my family started having karaoke nights, despite the fact that none of us could sing…well, we could sing, we just weren’t any good. Our karaoke machine was well loved and our song selection was impressive. We had a binder of CDs from which to choose, but inevitably I always chose “Brick House”. Complete with a little self-choreographed dance.

My adolescence was marked with age inappropriate karaoke.

Then, I went off to college, got my first apartment and realized that I could own karaoke games. Karaoke competitions? In my own home? Count. Me. In. I bought SingStar, Karaoke Revolution, and Get On Da Mic and held karaoke parties with friends. Watching each and every person try to hit a perfect score was entertaining to say the least, but best of all it provided me with 3 karaoke standards, should someone every bribe me to sing karaoke in public.

These standards have proven invaluable already, after an overconfident and unfortunate group effort involving “Scarborough Fair”… [Did you know there are more words to it than “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme”? We didn’t.]

Turn the Beat Around by Gloria Estefan

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton

Wannabe by Spice Girls

image via Cuba Gallery on Flickr