Twenty One: Space

I have very little 'space' left in my ginormous closet. I love clothes...and I hate to get rid of anything. I know I have too many clothes. I know that I rarely wear half of them. Most of you all have seen my closet. You know that the day before I moved in, I was doing cartwheels in it because it is THAT big. And it's THAT full. Needless to say, I will have a roommate in the near future that I need to make room for. So last night, I started really clearing 'space' in my closet for my future hubby! Wow...that just sounds so crazy to write, think or say!! :)

Below is a pic of my clearing from last night. It doesn't look as big and as much as it really is. I'm so proud of myself!! I posted a few blog ago about starting this process and that it would take me some time...baby steps. Well, here's my 2nd pass and this time I meant business!! 

Twenty: Light/Lite

The light was shining bright in Cabo on Memorial Day this year. Amber's wedding on the beach couldn't have been more perfect. The bride was stunning and absolutely glowing all day long. It makes me tear up just thinking about how happy my sweet friend was and is today. She found an amazing man to marry and I couldn't be more happy for her. I feel so blessed to have been a part of their lives through this amazing adventure...I was there the night they met, the afternoon they got engaged and the evening they got married on the beach at sunset. What an amazing venture for the two of them. I love them both and am so happy to see another one of my girlfriends wait for God's perfect plan...and see that perfect plan in motion. God is good!!

Bama preparing to make that walk down the aisle as the future Mrs. Harrison!

The vows...absolutely beautiful!!

Yay!! Bama is married!!

My handsome man!

The girls!!

The precious sand princesses in their tutu dresses!

My beautiful, amazing friends. Who knew college roomies could turn into besties for life!?! 

Eighteen: Jump

Brandon was a pole vaulter in high school and although I have no doubt he was really good...because so far, I haven't found anything that he doesn't do well when it comes to sports....the pic below made me chuckle. Kasey came in last week and brought a bunch of pictures from his childhood and college and as we went through them, Brandon made the comment that this pic may have just been early on...before he got the real concept down of making it 'over' the bar. :) 

But just to clear his name....in the pic below, he's CLEARLY over. Good job babe!! 

Nineteen: Cold

Cold...or not so cold...or how about hot? Very hot. Like 115 degrees hot. In Cabo, me, Brandon, the newlyweds (Amber and John) and Blake and Lisa all went on a Dune buggy excursion and we had a BLAST. It was so much fun but very hot. We rode about an hour or so and then went for a little hike through the dessert to get to a little natural spring of water. It was awesome. All the girls were a bit hesitant to get in since we were fully clothed but it didn't take us long to decide what the heck...it's 115 DEGREES!! Holy hot! What may have been 'cold' water, definitely didn't feel it. This was definitely worth it...highly recommend it!

Seventeen: Dad

Daddies and Daughters. I love the relationship and bond that can form between the two of them. No matter how headstrong, independent, 'do it myself' attitudes that some daughters can have (not that I know myself)...no matter how many 'head-butting' arguments the two may have growing up...no matter  how upset the teenage daughter may get when she's told no to staying out late, dating or told to clean her room....that deep and special bond these two have from the moment that little girl is held for the first time in a hospital room...it melts my heart. I love my daddy. He and I may not always see eye to eye on the surface, but my love and respect for him never changes. He will always be my hero, the first guy I ever loved and the one I am proud to have walk me down the aisle. The love that daddies have of their daughters will always be one of the strongest loves around. See below for two very inspirational pics and how that love never changes. From the age of a toddler to a young woman in her twenties...these father's never quit loving!! Happy Father's day to my dad and Brandon's!!

Sixteen: Dirty

Today was the 'Caveman Crawl' mud run that Brandon, Mica and I ran together. It made Brandon happy for me to run with him. It made me happy that Mica agreed to run with me. Win win all around.  The day was a blast. I laughed so hard so many times throughout the day with Mica. Don't get me wrong, it was HARD. We had times of serious struggle...there were many more hills and mucho more water than we were expecting. During the race, laughing, wanting to cry, almost puking at times...I decided that I wasn't even going to try to compete with Mica's blogging abilities. There are so many stories, so many funny things from the day...and if you want to read her blog, click here (be warned, it get's a little 'dirty')

Hopefully we will get some fun, dirty pictures of us from the race back from the 'professional' photographers...because apparently these pics aren't 'dirty' enough (trust me, we were thick with mud at times, but had to do so much swimming, it was rinsed off regularly)....but for now, here are our pics from the day. 

And just to add an additional little fun, let me introduce you to today's 'guest blogger':

I feel it is only fair that after reading Mica's blog someone needed to tell "the real story".  Although Mica is an accountant I often wonder if she is a secret card carrying member of a sales organization somewhere.  You know the type; they start with something true and then twist it around until it fits their own personal reality forgetting all the "little people" along the way (or maybe that's just me)....I digress.

So here it is, the real story, mothers cover your children's eyes, THIS COULD GET MUDDY!

The real challenge started many moons ago on a warm early spring day.  I began the arduous task of selling Kellie on the idea of a mud run.  As most of you know this is not an easy task.  Kellie can be as stubborn as her dad's mule but I was determined to close this deal.  

I caught my big break in late May with the help of fellow sales person Mica.  She offered to lay her life on the line for a friend and signed up.  Such a hero.  Now for those of you that didn't read comic books growing up I will fill you in.  Most of the heros I knew had a cape and spandex and so it was only fair that I talk "hero Mica" into dawning appropriate attire for the role.  I knew that this was all but necessary if Brandon's world were to be saved post race.  

Fast forward to race day:  

We arrived at the battle grounds with time to spare. This left for just enough time to do a little CYA and mention anything that I might have (absolutely 100% honest truth) left out by mistake. ;)  Here is the short list I failed to previously mention:

• This is a 5k if it were flat but probably more like a 7K after the hills
• Enough water obstacles to drown Michael Phelps
• Rattle Snakes
• Vertical hill climbs with loose gravel
• Skunks
• Shoe steeling mud pits
• Bees
• Ice Cold water holes
• and an extremely dangerous pair of 33 year old Pumas

Here we go, the race begins with Kellie shoving me to the ground yelling "O'Doyle Rules" and sprinting ahead approximately .05 miles ahead.  Fortunately I was able to catch and pass Kellie and her sidekick spandex girl.  The race was a bit of a challenge covering 40 plus obstacles with water everywhere.  The recent rains had turned every non-water obstacle into a muddy mess and the entire course into a giant slip and slide.  I kept my speed up often hearing the distance sound of thunder (Kellie and Mica throwing mud and yelling profanity at anyone that resembled me).  Needless to say the race was a complete success.  We all had a great time and finished with a smile on our face, some because it was over and other because we had accomplished something special.  

I can officially say that even after that race the wedding is still on and in fact we might even have time for one or two more races before then... Who's in??

Fifteen: Looking down

I've been skydiving...no big deal...loved it. But, parasailing? Always been afraid to do it and not sure why. My fear of it was kind of silly but it was my fear. I was more worried about being sucked under the motor of the boat as we were being pulled back in than anything else. Sounds dumb since most of the motors are inboard and really not a worry...but that's what I pictured could happen. As we discussed partaking in this little adventure together in Cabo, Brandon squashed that fear with 'a whole notha' issue. He admitted to being a little worried about it but for a far different reason. His reason was that he had seen somebody parasailing once, the line broke and they sailed off into never never land. Okay, whole new fear. Thanks B. But, we conquered our fears and had a blast!! Looking down into the beautiful Cabo San Lucas beachline was amazing...so peaceful and absolutely worth it!

(and for our moms, just know that if the line did break, the boat can just follow you and pick you up as you start 'floating' back down...no worries!)

Fourteen: Splash

We stayed at the Riu Santa Fe in Cabo and it was gorgeous. So many beautiful and amazing views. Brandon and I were the first to arrive and were able to scope it out to find a premo layout spot where we could have a view of both the ocean and the pool...perfect people watching area! As everyone else arrived during the week, it became the 'meeting' spot for the entire wedding party which made it so fun. We 'owned' that area and it was nice to know you could walk down there at anytime and find someone you knew during the day. Here are some pics of the pool and ocean where we spent the week 'splashing' around!

Our ocean/island view

The beautiful hotel and pool area

Love the idea of these 'chairs under the water' to layout in, except the water was FREEZING...so we didn't use them much.

Beautiful infinity pool pics

Brandon 'splashing' in the ocean...burrrr....it was cold!

Brothers of the Sun Concert

I posted previously (here) about this concert and the time finally came! My mom came up for wedding venue shopping on Friday and Saturday, her, Brandon and I went to the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw concert. I don't know many of Kenny's song (although Brandon knew every single word to every single song and my mom knew all but about 3) but I do LOVE Tim McGraw. We all had a fantastic time. Jake Owen and some random chic, Grace Potter, also sang so it made for a very long day in the stadium but worth every minute to see how happy it made my mom!!

Funny story, my mom was dying to buy something with Kenny's name and/or pic on it. We went up to the lines...holy long!! Oh my, it would have taken an hour or more to stand in that line. We were standing talking about what we were going to do, when this 'security' lady overheard us and offered to put my mom in a wheelchair and roll her right up to the front of the line. Ha! My mom being the 'Honest Abe' that she is almost refused but Brandon and I were like, HECK YES, she will totally play along. 10 min later, they come back with loot in hand....and one happy momma!

Tim McGraw - what a cutie!

Kenny Chesney - not so bad himself :)

But the best looking of them all...my future hubby...and my amazing mom! We had a blast!

Thirteen: Handwriting

Although this isn't the best 'handwriting', it is the handwriting of my precious niece. I have struggled a long time with how she would take me finally meeting the guy I would marry and have babies with. She LOVES Brandon, but I was very worried about how she might take the news of us one day getting engaged, married and having kids. Even last time she was here for spring break, she wouldn't discuss us getting married. Lisa asked her one day about it and she gave the same answer as she always does, "I don't want to talk about it". With me, she would either get mad if I brought it up or start getting teary eyed about it. I think her biggest concern is losing me. She thinks when I get married or have a family of my own, I'll forget about her, I won't have time for her and she will lose her bond with me. I have worked very hard over the past few months to try to help her understand there is ABSOLUTELY no truth in that. Brandon and I love her and she will always be a huge part of my life, she can still spend her annual week in Dallas during summer break and she will get to be the most amazing aunt one day. Last weekend when I went home after the engagement, this is what she gave me. It brought tears to my eyes...and she even got excited about the idea of calling him 'Uncle Brandon'. Makes me so happy.

In case you can't read it, this is what it says: Dear Kellie Watson/Woods, I love you very much. You are the best aunt I could ever had. I would love to be in your wedding! Love, Megan

Special Birthday Dinner

I think I met the most amazing 30 year old man EVER. He is so sweet, thoughtful and good to me. This past weekend, my brithday weekend, was BUSY to say the least. Friday, my mom, Lisa, Mica and I spent the entire day venue shopping...it was fun but wore.me.out. Friday night was my surprise birthday party which was awesome but it turned into a very late night! Saturday, Brandon and I bailed on the 5k that we had signed up to do but Saturday afternoon we spent with my mom at the Cowboys Stadium for the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw concert...which was tons of fun! It was another very late night and Sunday was no less busy. I worked on Cabo/Engagement pics (sorting thru 1k pics and editing about 80), wedding stuff, cleaned out one closet and started on the other trying to make room for Brandon to move in...moving the wedding date up also moves this date up! Needless to say by Sunday evening (my actual bday), we were both exhausted and possibly a tad bit cranky! :) But, Brandon being the wonderful guy that he is went all out to make my day special. As if he hadn't already done enough, he went to the store while I finished up the pics and bought all kinds of yummies to make me for dinner. He made me stay on the couch while he brought multiple courses to me so that I wouldn't know what he was making. BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER.

Appetizer: Crab & Spinach Dip w/ Crackers

I.LOVE.HIM.

Dinner: Steak & Chicken Kabobs with bell pepper and onions...with asaparagus on the side...scrumptious!

Dessert: Our fav...Dough-y cookies with ice cream and caramel...delish!

Twelve: Past

OMG...these pics are a blast from the past. One of my high school bff's sent me these pics last weekend that she randomly found after our reunion. This is wedding slide show material for sure...cracks me up!

Me, Jamie, Lisa and Niki...this had to be around 8th grade-ish school pics...wow.

Me, Lisa and Jamie with our HUGE homecoming mums probably Sophomore year?...my mom made all of them and they were SO COOL...at the time!

Senior Prom...Me, Jamie, Lisa and Amy. What great memories with some great friends!!

Eleven: Junk

I'm not sure which one of my lovely ladies came up with this 'word' of the day...but all I can think of is 'junk in the trunk' and LORD knows I have plenty of that on my backside...but I also know that nobody wants to see a pic of that! :)

So, all I've got is my junk drawer at work. There is a random mix of all kinds of 'junk'...but I must say that it's fairly organized! Among my junk are items such as:

Coffee Creamer/Splenda (when jcp used to make us pay for that stuff along with our over priced cup of coffee...I'll show them!)

Andes Mints (which I'm not allowed to eat right now due to Round 2 of our competition...boo!)

Address Stamp and ink pads (gift Mica gave me a long time ago that I love!)

Plastic Forks/Spoons for eating at my desk

Hot Lemon Tea (my boss got me onto this when I have a sore throat or congestion issues...it's great!)

And of course, the normal 'medical kit' stuff...bandaids, tums, eye drops, etc.

Oh yes...if you look closely, you'll see my little salt shaker...you never know when you need an extra 'dash' of salt!! Ha! :)

Ten: Secret

June 10th...my BIRTHDAY!! I do love me some birthdays and although this year I decided I would not celebrate 'big' or go all out for a month...Brandon and my friends decided otherwise! And I've loved every minute of it! I haven't decided if I like 'secrets' among those closest to me or not...but some secrets pay off in the end. :) Brandon contacted Kathy a couple of months ago to 'book me' for dinner, a small couples dinner with her and Matt and Bama and John. Little did I know, they had all schemed to get me to a specific Mexican restaurant near Brandon's house at 7ish on Friday night. Brandon then had to make a quick stop at his house on the way "because something was in his eye and he needed to put his glasses on"...then he needed me to "come inside to help pour some eye drops in his eye". What?! Being the 'go with the flow' kinda gal that I am (or at least try HARD to be most of the time!)...I went with it. And as I walk in, his house was fully decorated in pink Hawaiian themed decor and 30 of my closest friends yell 'Suprise'! So fun! His roommate had the grill going making burgers, hot dogs and chicken for everyone for dinner, Kathy made all of her yummy dips and cupcakes for dessert (red velvet, chocolate and strawberry!) Yum!! My besties from Waco, Keith and Jamie even showed up which was a huge surprise!! I am so thankful for an amazing finance and best friends...even if they keep secrets from me occasionally! ha!

Kathy and Matt took all of the pics that night and I haven't had a chance to get them from her... so for now, here are just a few that I stole from her blog!

Special thanks to Kathy for all the chips/dips/cupcakes...and huge candles!

Brandon 'taped' the hawaiian skirt on the table with athletic tape...priceless!

Uhhh-Mazing. Friends.

Nine: Money

You'd think Brandon and I had a money tree in the back of BOTH of our houses these days...whew! We are both so blessed to be able to afford to do so many fun things in our lives...but life isn't cheap! Especially our lives! With our long, extended (much needed!) vacation in Cabo, including so many fun activities like dune buggies, parasailing and deep sea fishing (better called 'whale watching' trip)...not to mention the added expense Brandon had of the proposal and private dinner on the beach...and even more my AMAZING engagement ring. Holy moly...I was blown away by the beauty and custom design of it. Weddings, birthdays, travels...we have had an expensive couple of months...and our 'expense' list continues to grow while our 'money trees' do not! :)

But, life is good...no complaints here. Although next step on the agenda...get ourselves on a budget! (You know in between wedding planning, dress shopping, cake tasting, cleaning out closets to prepare for B to move in, blogging...oh and work!)

Here's my pic of the day...the most amazing (hopefully largest one time) expense of my life...the ring that represents our commitment to each other! Thank you Brandon for fulfilling my life in every way imaginable!

Eight: Bad Habit

I probably have a lot of really bad habits but one that comes to mind is my inability to slow my life down. I know that I could say 'no' more often and stay at home but I struggle with it. I have a lot of friends and I love to see them...and I get myself booked up quickly! I'm so much better than I used to be but I still struggle with it. Now that I have Brandon in my life, it's not all about 'just me' anymore...but I know I drive him crazy sometimes keeping us so B.U.S.Y. Don't get me wrong, that boy loves to be on the go! He never sits still but the difference between us is that I'll have us booked up several weekends in advance...whereas he likes to book last minute. We are both trying to adjust to each other's schedules but we started an online google calendar so that we can both add events/plans to it and the other one always knows what is going on. I highly recommend it! I have even gone through and put in weekend blocks of 'NO PLANS'...at least one per month. Those are his to book last minute if he wants to! :)

And now, especially with all the wedding planning...everything else must SLOW down. I need to keep my stress levels in check...and make sure that I enjoy this planning process! =)

Seven: Back

I know that my parents LOVE to ride the Harley on a beautiful, mildly warm day. I get it, wanting to be outside, enjoy the fresh air, have the breeze blowing in your face...but I don't get the long rides that they go on. And it scares the crap out of me. I worry the entire time thinking all the worst things that could happen to them. My dad left last week and went on a ride for about 8 days riding through the country with his friends. Although I know he enjoys it and gets to see and take pics of some really cool stuff. I want him 'back'...back at home, safe and sound!

A pic from his most recent trip.

Six: History

This past weekend, I had my 15 year high school reunion. Sounds lame but our class is so fun and we all really have a great time keeping up with each other. Facebook makes it cool because you know enough to see where most of the people are but face to face outings are fun because you can really keep those relationships alive. I loved getting to see some of my old friends and relive our old stories. This reunion was even more special because I got to take a date...a boy that I plan to spend the rest of my life with! It was awesome to show him off...and it didn't hurt to have a huge rock on my finger to prove exactly how amazing this guy is. Everyone loved Brandon and we had a great time. As we prepare to build our own history together...it was fun to introduce him to my friends from the 'pre-Brandon' days!