Meagan & Bryan...Live, Laugh, Love.

London

2012-01-28T13:08:00.021-05:00

I'm slightly behind considering my last post was in October! So much has happened between then and now. I'll try and start with day 1 of our trip to London. I was blessed to be able to meet Bryan over in London after his 2 weeks of being in Ireland. We stayed with Aunt Debbie in Kingston. It was a gorgeous town and Terry and Debbie were wonderful hosts!

Here are the beautiful flowers that Bryan greeted me at the airport with

Our first stop was a walk through the town.

Bryan was so sweet and took me to Links to pick out my birthday present.

Then we went with Terry and Debbie to Hampton Court (Where Henry the VIII last lived). We did the full tour and learned all about the history.

T-Bone and Debbie

I found myself a little wine to bring back home

We got lost in the maze...

Then finally found the center...

The rose garden was amazing

That night we went to Jamie Oliver's restaurant. It was a great first day with Bryan, Debbie and Terry!

Celebrating 2 years!

2011-10-09T21:51:00.007-04:00

This past month Bryan and I celebrated our second anniversary! Wohoo! It feels like it has been much longer than that, in a good way, I think that's because we have already done so much together. We enjoy married life and I can't imagine it any other way. We are continually working to grow closer together and I can only hope we'll be that cute old couple one day.

Bryan and I decided to alternate planning our anniversary each year, so I have the even years and he gets the odd. I decided to do something a little different. I booked a hotel for one night in Rockwall on Lake Ray Hubbard. It was a nice hotel on the water. We got there around 3 and watched the A&M game out at the pool bar, sadly for Bryan A&M lost.

After that we got ready for dinner and walked down to Gloria's. We saw an amazing sunset. I feel like they follow us:)

Then we went out on a 40 ft. catamarran sailboat with Captain Scott. He built the boat himself and his first mate is his wife, which is so cute. Not in a cheesy way like in the wedding crashers speech. It was cool to go sailing at night. We took the 9 pm moonlight cruise. It was perfect weather and you can bring your own drinks too. I would totally recommend it!

(from Scott's Facebook account)

It was a great time and I'm so thankful for Bryan and our marriage. I'm looking forward to many more years together.

Bryan's Sixth Annual 29th Birthday!

2011-08-11T22:37:00.020-04:00

Bryan's birthday was a success! We went out to dinner on his birthday at Wolfgang Puck's 560 in reunion tower. It was right before sunset so we got some great pictures! We also were able to traffic control of downtown Dallas too, and saw a wreck happen, not cool.

The dinner was great! I had quail and Bryan got the fillet. I think Bob's is still our favorite but it was a great view and good food too!

Then for the big birthday bash we had everyone over at the house

Corrie and me

Jason and Bryan

Grant, Johnny and Brad all in grey

Rachel made a delicious chocolate cake that everyone loved! I wish I was a terrific baker like her!

Rachel, Crystal, me and Lindsey

Bryan and his little sister Debra

Jamie and Jeremy

Me and the boys!

Happy Birthday Bryan!!

The latest and greatest

2011-07-25T17:38:00.002-04:00

The Baker household has been pretty chill lately....Bryan just got back from the guys annual river trip. I just got back from housesitting for my boss so we're getting back into the swing of our daily routine. Here are a few things that are going on with us:

1. Bryan's 6th annual 29th b-day is coming up on the 2nd!! Can't wait to celebrate with him.

2. Our community group had our last meeting with our leaders and are on our own now. I'm looking forward to that adventure and growing closer to God and the other couples in our group!

3. May be planning a trip to Boston for Labor Day weekend to see the Rangers take down those Red Sox!!

4. Janet (Bryan's older sister) is celebrating her 40th this Saturday with a massive slip n slide and I'm super pumped about that!

5. Bryan will be going to Ireland sometime this fall and I'm hoping to accompany him and swing by London to see Aunt Debbie!!

6. A few of our friends are preggers again and we're so excited for everyone's future addition! I won't say who because I'm not sure who all is sharing right now:)

Playa

2011-06-19T21:51:00.021-04:00

Well our latest and greatest adventure down to Playa with Jason and Sara was a blast! Other than a few incidents it was a great trip! We left early on a Saturday and got there around 12. We started it out "right" with a first class upgrade. Little did we know first class isn't so classy on Aero Mexico.

Once we were settled into the resort (The Royal Playa)we went to the pool and hit up some water volleyball. It was so funny because everyone wanted Jason and Bryan on their team for some reason. I think they enjoyed being the "cool kids" in school. We had a few mini beers and drinks with our friend Luis at the bar with these fun swings.

Then Sara and I went to our rooms to get ready. We left the boys alone which was our first mistake. Bryan ends up introducing the mini beers to another couple....a bride and groom in the middle of them taking pictures. Too funny, they loved him and we saw them later on in the week too. After we all got ready we headed out to dinner at the Italian place.

There was a mariachi band playing so we asked for them to sing ring of fire...totally random but it was good stuff!

Then after dinner we walked back to the hotel and there was a wedding reception going on in the middle of the courtyard. Sooo...Bryan immediately assumes it's the same couple from earlier. Not so much! We ended up "crashing" their wedding. I was doing the cupid shuffle and Bryan was behind the bar showing the bar tender how it's done.

We stayed only for a few minutes and then figured we better jet. Well lucky us, the next day we are sitting at breakfast and who comes and sits right next to us, the bride and groom. Bryan kind of ducked down in his seat a little but I'm afraid he stands out quite a bit and I think they saw him:)

We spent the rest of our days laying out, reading, drinking, eating and just relaxing.

Our Mayan Coffees being made and on fire!

Bryan forgot to pack long pants and so he had to borrow Jason's "skinny" jeans, which was pretty awesome!

Here is the only picture I have of us four. I set the timer and put it on the ledge. I figured we needed to duck down and that's why we look so goofy!

We watched the Mavs games at night which was cool because we would meet other people from Dallas.

The series of unfortunate events included Jason straining his knee playing volleyball. At first it wasn't too bad, but got progressively worse throughout the trip. By day 3 he was on crutches and couldn't put any pressure on it and by the time we left we were pushing him in a wheel chair at the airport. Thankfully he is healthy now after the swelling went down and he rested a little.

Sara accidentally poured soup on her hand from the ladle at one of the restaurants. So, she had to keep it wet and covered from the sun which required wearing a washcloth, poor girl. Neither one of them wanted to go to the Dr. in Mexico and I don't blame them.

On top of that I had a watch stolen out of my bag and believe it was the airline that did it! That can be replaced though so no biggie.

The funny part about Jason in the wheel chair is that they have been through a similar situation in the past. In high school Jason was on crutches and Bryan was the lucky guy that carried his books for him and skipping class with him. One night in Mexico after a show Bryan took Jason in the wheel chair out on the dance floor. Everyone was cheering them on it was pretty funny. We had met a lot of them earlier in the week, which made it even better.

All in all it was a great time and we enjoyed getting away with the McSween's!

Super Bowl Champs!

2011-04-23T23:37:00.010-04:00

Ok so I know this is super duper late, but it's still near and dear to my heart and the Cavanaugh family's....The Packers winning the Super Bowl!!!!

This years super bowl was so great since it was in Arlington. However, it was sad for it to be so close and not go:( We did try and rent out our home for the week, but had no takers. I think we were just a little late on that one.

Unlce Tim, Tip and Terry came down from Milwaukee so that was awesome to be able to see them.

Dad, Mom & Uncle Tim

Bryan, Brittanie, Brad, Tip, & Terry

Ian & Uncle Matt

Haley & Me

Bryan & Me

Emi & Steph

We ended up watching the game over at Brad's. It was quite a stressful one especially with all the major injuries. But in the end the good guys won!

Lizzy got to meet her new sister too. Mom and Dad's new puppy....

Way to go Packers! What a great game!!

St. Paddy's Day 2011

2011-03-25T22:48:00.010-04:00

This year for St. Patrick's Day Crys, Michelle, Matt, Corrie and I did the 5K. I was doing just fine until I hit the 2nd mile and then I was struggling. I could blame it on my music cutting out or the fact that my arm band kept coming off, but I think I'm getting just plain OLD!

The silver lining is that Crys and I did accomplish our goal (beating last year's time). We had over 32 minutes last year and this year we were at 29:45, pretty exciting!!

Bryan sat this one out and decided to get us a sweet spot for the parade instead. That was probably wise since he was excited about the green beer and they didn't have any along the run this year.

We were able to meet up with Collin & Jenna and Johnny & Josh. Jenna was a champ and we were so impressed with her!

We had some lovely homemade shirts this year made by yours truly. I did Bryan, Crystal's and my shirt with the amateur sketch.

For those of you that are unaware of the greatness you can catch up here:

Pistol's 28th birthday

2011-03-22T21:55:00.018-04:00

Crystal's birthday was such a blast this year. We were able to spend pretty much the whole day together. It was so great that Brooke and Freeland were in town to cerebrate with us too!!

We started out at the Cross Timbers Winery in Grapevine

Im pretty sure Bryan is eating some cheese and crackers here in this one...hah

This was my favorite winery that we went to. It was so cute in the back. They had a big barn that hosts weddings and a cute courtyard too!

Then we went to Homestead to meet Brooke

This place was a little weird. The people were freaky there. They were talking about "Maude" the ghost that lived there. That was enough for us to wrap it up and get out of there as soon as we could.

The best part was that Crys was able write on the ceiling (with the help/height of Bryan)

Then we stopped off at Farina's. It was more of a restaurant that offered tastings. Definitely some good wine though!

Then we went back to the house to meet Freeland for appetizers, a little more wine and yummy cake!!

Freeland spending some time with Liz

Brookie!

Bryan set up the fire pit for us to enjoy. I finally got a decnt picture of us four while holding the camera.

All in all it was a wonderful day! It was great to be with my best friends and of course Dr. Bryan and Dr. Freeland! We got to have some great wine and get our dougie on!

Happy Birthday Cryssie....

Jingle Mingle 2010

2011-01-10T20:50:00.013-05:00

We held the Third Annual Jingle Mingle at our house, The Griswald's a.k.a. The Baker's

Sadly Crystal was out of town and couldn't make it. There was a nice mix of wines, cheese and some of my favorite people!

Rachie and me in front of the tree kicking off the night with a glass of bubbly!

Bryan and me...he just loves pictures

Jamie and Jeremy enjoying the vino...

Brad and me, unfortunately Brittany couldn't make it that night.

Bryan and Jeremy hangin out

Sadly I don't have any pictures of Grant, Lindsay, Johnny, Chels, Mick and Tim. They were all there though clebrating with us. We had a white elephant gift exchange that was pretty histerical too! I ended up with some pink snuggie shoes copmpliments of Tim and Mick got a sweet umbrella from Brad. I can't remember all the other gifts though.

Then we played Scene It and whooped up on the other team. However, at the end of the game Bryan gave the other team the option of doing the Ellaine dance to move them up 20 spaces.

It was hilarious watching great dancers like Rach and Chels bust out moves like that. Grant and Jeremy's dancing was pretty graceful too! We had a great time and look forward to the 2011 celebration!

Rocky

2010-12-12T23:37:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago we had to put down our sweet Rocko. He was 15 years old and the sweetest dog. He was Bryan's best friend all throughout college and the after years. He was the first dog that I ever loved and we will truly miss him. Lizzy has been acting a little different since he has been gone.

Bryan took Rock to the vet and he was told we needed to do it within the next few days. So that night Bryan invited all of Rocky's uncles over to say their goodbyes. We had some whataburger french fries for him to munch on thanks to the Shoup's. That was in rememberence of Rocky's fries from Rudy back in his college days.

We had some left over Bob's steak so Rocky was able to have a great final meal. I brought him some white russians too because he used to tackle Bryan to get some of his drink. He loved that and drank it right up.

Friday the 3rd Bryan and Rocky's other father James Barricklow took Rocko to the vet together to put him down.

It was very neat that they were able to do this together as they went to pick him up together 15 years ago just outside of College Station. Rocky was a pure bread Mutt as Bryan would say, the funny part is that he was advertised as a pitbull, hah!

We appreciate everyones love and support for us. Rocky was so unique and will be missed. To continue to celebrate his life we wanted to poll everyone to see what their favorite Rocky nickname was:

1. Rocko
2. Rocko Taco
3. Rock
4. Rocky Road
5. Rocko P Coltrane
6. The Rock
7. Hammer
8. Pico

Ireland Day 3

2010-11-08T21:08:00.032-05:00

I'm so behind on the latest and greatest with the Baker family. Here's what I have from our latter part of our Ireland adventures....

Friday morning we went and picked up our sweet rental car at the airport and drove down to Killarney Ireland.

Bryan was driving because there was no way I was gonna do the other side of the road thing!

It's about 45 minutes away from Cork and the view on the drive down is amazing!

When we got there we checked into our hotel. Unfortunately and fortunately the economy is pretty bad there so Bryan was able to bargain with them and get us a suite for only 100 Euros!!

There was even a little fireplace under the tv too

We had a great view of all the "buggies" too

We drove to the Ring of Kerry to see the sights. We didn't do the whole thing just ladies view and a hike up to see the Torc waterfall. The Ring of Kerry is basically a collection of gorgeous historic places.

Here's on the walk up

Some little troll that lived under this bridge

The Torc Waterfall

Bryan carved our initials in a tree:)

Bryan doing something he's not supposed to like always

Bryan found this walking stick for our adventures, he was pretty excited about that

Had to take a picture of the pretty clovers

This was one of our stops on the way up to Ladies View

Look how wide the roads are...the Tahoe would never survive in Ireland

Ladies View

Yeayyyaaaa!!!

After our driving adventures we walked up to a restaurant that had traditional Irish music that night

Dinner at the Danny Man

I had some delicious lamb and mashed potatoes

After dinner we watched the band perform.

They were so cute, in an Irish accent they said...Let us know if you have any requests and if we know it we'll play it and if not we won't. So... Bryan had to go to the "bathroom" and had our waitress bring them a request from him.

It said I am here with my wife Meagan for our 1 yr anniversary and would like you to play Van Morrison Moondance, it was played at our wedding last year. He didn't know it so he played some other Irish song. I was pretty much in tears during the whole thing because it was so sweet!!

Ireland!!!! (Days 1 & 2)

2010-10-15T13:13:00.011-04:00

We had an amazing time in Ireland. It is so gorgeous this time of year!! The weather was just right. I flew into Cork Wednesday night. Bryan had a driver come pick me up and then we went to dinner with some of his co-workers.

Then we went out to The Old Oak

Thursday morning Bryan had to work so I just went to St. Patrick's street to check out the shops

Then I was able to get a manicure and pedicure

It's so different over there, they just soak your feet and then do the rest. They don't even scrub your feet or give your legs a massage, bummer. My girl was really nice though so it was still enjoyable.

It cracked me up though because she said she had never been to the states. So, I asked her where she would like to go and she said New York (which was a given and a good choice) and then Disney World. I thought that was too funny!!

Thursday night we went to this cute Beer Garden

To be continued....

Lizzy's new dance

2010-09-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

Haha I wish, check out this golden...

Almost 1 year!!!!

2010-09-17T09:24:00.003-04:00

This Saturday will be Bryan and my first year anniversary...wohoo!!! It has been such a wonderful first year. Here are a few things that I have learned from our marriage so far:

-There's a lot of compromising

-We are both sinners (see also the book we are reading for our community group)

-I never knew I could love someone this much!!

-Time flies (I can't believe it's already been a year)

-It's wonderful having someone back you 100%

-Men think way different than women (I think I already knew that, but it's just so funny to see day in and day out)

-I loose my husband every Sunday in the fall (similar to fever pitch)

-The Lord is faithful and it's amazing to see our relationship grow when we pursue him!

Bryan is so thoughtful and caring! He does the sweetest things and I'm thankful for him every day.

Girls Weekend

2010-09-08T15:50:00.001-04:00

Two weekends ago Lori, Dawn, Jamie and me went to Ft. Worth for one night away. It was very exciting because 2 out of the 4 had never spent time in Ft. Worth. We stayed at the Omni downtown, which was super nice!!

We started out our Saturday with a little pool time:

There was a pool bar too so that was nice:)After laying around the pool we went up to the room to get ready for dinner. Then someone knocked at the door. The boys (who were at the lake, except for Jeremy) had ordered chocolate covered strawberries for us, so sweet!!

The we walked to Reatta for dinner:

The food was amazing!! I had buffalo rib eye and it was so delicious. The view from there is so pretty too! We sat in the dome because the roof top patio was booked for an event:(

After dinner we walked to Flying Saucer for a drink, stopped in and Irish pub and then played pool at the Library.

We were pretty wiped out after that. We can't really stay up very long these days. Oh and we have to show off all of Dawn's luggage too....

...ok so it's not all hers but she did have a very large bag. It was a great night away!!

Lemonade stand

2010-08-12T17:01:00.003-04:00

The other day Kourtney (my bosses youngest daughter) and her friend Meredith wanted to have a lemonade stand. So I helped them make the lemonade and get everything together. It was pretty sweet because we took the golf cart out as our mobile stand.

We drove around the neighborhood and sold to all the workers.
They ended up making $25 in an hour and a half. Here is a cute picture of them jamming out.....

Jumping ahead a few days (today) on the way to work I was listening to the Ticket. They were talking about lemonade stands and all their memories of them. Then they had people call in with stories. This one guy called in to say that he had let his kids set up a lemonade stand on their own in front of the house, no biggie. Well, when his wife got home she was like "what are the kids doing out there"? He says "Having a lemonade stand" She says "we don't have any lemonade".......

Come to find out the kids had taken wine coolers out there and were selling those!!! Hilarious!!!

Wisconsin!!

2010-07-01T11:38:00.004-04:00

Bryan and I are heading out for Wisconsin tonight. I am so excited to see all of our family!! Everyone is going except Steph & Sean and the kiddos. They are working on selling their home so they can't make it.

The fourth in Wisconsin is amazing! The lakes, the parades and beautiful weather! The highs will be around 85 and the lows around 60, nothing like Texas! Here is the rundown for our trip:

1. Graduation party for my cousin Madelynn in Brookfield
2. Head to Madison to see Nana and Bapa.
3. Maybe a little sailing
4. Help Nana & Bapa do some stuff at the house/garage sale
5. Back to Milwaukee Saturday night to go to Grandma's
6. Lake on the 4th, fireworks, boats, great food, and lots of family!! (This will be the first time Bryan meets a lot of my Dad's side of the family, so I'm looking forward to it!)
7. Parade on the 5th- one of the best parades
8. Brewer game after that (tailgate included)
9. Head back to the sauna of Texas.

Everyone have a great 4th!!! Enjoy this beautiful country that we are all blessed to live in!

Life

2010-06-09T16:53:00.003-04:00

I feel like our lives are so busy right now, but I have no clue what to blog about. Strange how that works.

Things have been great at the Baker household. Last week we had our first community group meeting. I'm so excited to be a part of a group and I think we have a great crew! Bryan played basketball in Garland in Junior High with one of the guys in our group, craziness! I feel like everywhere we go he knows someone.

Weekends have been pretty busy with birthdays, families, and friends. Last weekend we had Jackson's 1st birthday party! It was so much having all the kiddos together. Then we saw Gant compete in the Scottish Highland games in Arlington. He got 1st place in several areas and moved up from the C group to the B group. It was great spending time with him and Courtney.

This coming weekend we are running the Susan G. Komen 5K with Bryan's work. I'm really excited about that! The Kerns' are joining too so that makes it even more fun. Other than that life is great!

Siesta Key

2010-05-12T22:41:00.020-04:00

We had a great time in Siesta Key with The Hausler's. Thursday night we arrived and went to the Daiquiri Deck.

Steph's cards were on sale in the gift shop and that was so neat to see:

Friday we laid out and got a little too burnt. We also went on a walk and saw these guys kite surfing, it looked like so much fun!

That night we grilled out on the beach. It was perfect. We danced to Van Morrison and had a wonderful time! It was the perfect evening.

Afterwards Bryan and I went up to a hole in the wall bar called Captain Kurt's and they had karaoke going on. There were some great singers there, even a girl who used to be on American Idol.

The next day was a little rough because Bryan got the flu. So while he rested Lori and I walked to see the sand castle competition. There were about 20 different creations. It was neat to see how creative they get!

Fish in a Barrel:

Shark eating a gator with a guy in the middle (this won 1st place):

That night Bryan was feeling better so we went to Phillipi Creek, one of our families favorite places!

Unfortunately Bryan was not all better and it carried over for a couple more days.
We still had a great time and I'm so thankful we were able to go!

Sarasota here we come!!

2010-04-29T13:16:00.005-04:00

Bryan, Shane, Lori and myself leave for Sarasota today!! This will be our first time back since the big engagement. We are thrilled to share one of our favorite places with the Hausler's.

We'll have to show them where it all went down in front of the yellow lifeguard stand

I'm sure we'll make time for walks on the beach...

And lots more pictures...

I think we both have lost weight since this pic:) I'll post some pics after the trip too. I wish everyone could come down with us!! Maybe next year we can do a big group and all go together!!

Food & Weddings

2010-04-22T11:48:00.002-04:00

Crystal told me about this really neat food website that her roomie Christy uses. They have such beautiful pictures and some pretty creative recipes.

I am trying to branch out and make some new stuff for the hubs. One night I made a spicy salmon pasta. I know it sounds random, but it was probably the best thing I have ever made! John and Josh came over and cleaned out about half the pan. I did substitute a soft white cheese instead of using cheddar though.

Here's a cool wedding website too from the same people as the food gawker. I love these different ideas, it makes me want to get married all over again. Maybe we'll just have re-new our vows or I can help out friends with their weddings instead.

Wedding videos

2010-04-21T12:54:00.003-04:00

Here are some videos that Uncle Tim filmed of our wedding:

I love seeing Bryan walk down the aisle, since obviously I couldn't be there for that part

The kids are too funny:

This is great, the boys debating over our fantasy football league:

I wish we could go back and do it all over again. That was such a fun day!!

The latest...

2010-04-20T14:02:00.002-04:00

I have been such a slacker about blogging lately. Unfortunately I left my camera at Lori-Lynn's engagement party on Saturday night so I can't post any pics right now. Here's the latest at the Baker household:

1. Next weekend we are headed to Siesta Key for a weekend getaway with the Hausler's.

2. Bryan's work conference the week of may get postponed or canceled because there are people trying to fly from Ireland through London to the US and that isn't happening with this smoke stuff from the volcano right now.

3. Lizzy and Rocky are doing well. Lizzy is too cute and I think she's keeping Rocky young too! She tears up every toy we give her so it seems pointless to buy new ones. The only thing that holds up are tennis balls and ropes.

4. I'm still loving my new job, as a personal assistant!! I feel so blessed to have such a great family to work for.

5. At the engagement party,this past Saturday, there were Hawaiian dancers there teaching the girls and guys their moves. I will have to post the video of Bryan with the guys soon!! It's too funny.

Other than that life is great right now! We love being married, and we are hoping to be in a community group through Watermark soon!!

I heart Fergie!

2010-04-16T16:42:00.002-04:00

I came home the other night and Bryan and Tim were raving about this amazing concert, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, on HBO. Well I thought they must be exaggerating and it's not that big of a deal. Well last night Bryan, Mick, Kasi and I stayed up till 1 watching this concert part 1 and part 2.

My favorite part was Fergie rocking out with Mick Jagger to Gimme Shelter. She is amazing! You can speed forward to 3:15 if you just wanna see them kick it. You must turn it way up to get the full effect!

Hot tub time machine

2010-03-31T13:07:00.008-04:00

Ok, not really but it does bring you back to certain memories. I totally remember a church ski trip to Colorado where we rolled in the snow and then hopped back in the hot tub. Probably not the best thing for your heart or body, but we were silly kids.

The addition of the new hot tub has been a fun one. Watching the guys unload the hot tub was pretty nerve racking in the snow. Here is what it looked like standing up right as they unloaded it:

Bryan was so sweet and carved our initials in the cement:

Bryan always said who do you think our first guest in the hot tub will be? It ended up being my little bro Johnny. He came over to spend the night so I could take him to the airport for an early flight.

In addition to Johnny we have had fun with the following people in the hot tub:

1.Shane
2.Lori
3.Russ
4.Tim
5.Mick
6.Emily
7.Dad
8.Matt
9.Ian
10.Caroline
11.Haley

Who will be our next guests?

We had so much fun when the kids came over. We made hot chocolate and it was snowing in the hot tub too!

What a sweet husband I have! Thanks B for the nifty hot tub! Here's our first pic in it:

In one month....

2010-03-22T15:24:00.002-04:00

1. My best friend will have a new baby boy in her life (more like one week). Yay Brookie and Freeland, we are so excited for y'all!!

2. Bryan and I along with Shane and Lori will be at our favorite beach, Sarasota!! Wohoo! We are so excited. Here's our condo that we get to stay in. We get to show them a few of our favorite spots: The yellow lifeguard stand, Cha Cha coconuts in St. Armands Square, the whitest beach you'll ever see and so on....

3. One of my besties Crystal Browning will become a resident of Miami Florida, boo and yay! I'm excited for her and Chris, but so sad to see her go:( Here is their amazing new place

4.Little Miss Caroline will be 7 years old, wow!

5. Bryan and I will have been married for 7 months!!

Dash Down Greenville

2010-03-05T11:17:00.003-05:00

Here is the beginning of our plans for St. Patrick's Day!! Bryan, Crystal, me and many more of our friends will be participating in the big run

This will be our first time to join in on the fun. We usually just get there for the parade and the party, but this year we're getting started earlier. Is anyone else running that we don't know of? Let me know and maybe we'll see ya down there.

I'm so excited for one of my favorite holidays!

Cheers! Sláinte!!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2010-02-12T11:06:00.006-05:00

I am loving all the snow. The most we have ever had here. I think it's a total of 15 inches, craziness. Lizzy loves to run and play in it, while Rocky would rather take care of business and get inside as fast as possible!

Our street looks so pretty and peaceful. The snow has such a calming effect on everything.

The house looks so cute and cozy, almost like the house on The Holiday

Belated post

2010-01-14T18:39:00.001-05:00

It has been way too long since my last post!! So sorry. I think we have had Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's since I last posted. Life is great right now!! I am totally loving my new job, enjoying married life, and looking forward to getting more inolved at Watermark this year!!!

Life is great and I couldn't be blessed any more by more wonderful husband, amazing family and terrific friends. Looking forward to a great 2010 (that is so hard to say 20-10).

Snow Day!

2009-12-02T17:40:00.003-05:00

What a nice surprise! I woke up this morning and heard that there was snow in Abilene and it was heading our way! By the time I left for work it was coming down in Arlington!

Plano had a ton (ok well not a ton, but more than Arlington)of snow!! It was so pretty. Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got to work today.

Recipes for Leftovers

2009-12-02T10:46:00.002-05:00

This is the perfect site (or iPhone app) for all your turkey leftovers. All you do is type in what leftovers you have HERE and it gives you tons of recipes that you can use.

Bryan and I made a yummy turkey, noodle, cheese and mushroom casserole. It was delicious. I think that Big Oven might be my new favorite site!!

Happy Leftovers!!

Magazine Subscription $5

2009-12-01T17:57:00.005-05:00

What a great (inexpensive) gift for the holidays!

Real Simple- $5 for a yearly subscription!!

House Beautiful- $5

Southern Living $5 for a year

{Offers found here}

Meet Lizzy

2009-12-01T14:47:00.006-05:00

This past Sunday after church we went over to Steph's for tacos and my favorite, queso with the family. Little did I know what we would be taking home that day. Dad brought in four of the golden puppies that they have right now. There was a family that came over to pick out their puppy. Bryan and I saw that there was one light tan one left and the rest were darker. I said that little tan one is pretty cute.

So as the family arrived Steph prayed Lord give Meagan and Bryan a sign if they are supposed to have a puppy. That sign was going to be if that family didn't pick out the light one we would potentially be taking her home with us.

I kept watching them and peeping on them as they held all of the four different puppies. As most of you know I'm not a big animal lover so this was very strange to me. I told mom we'll just get one from the next litter and then she informed that there won't be a next litter. Bryan gave me his own little puppy dog face and asked sweetly if we could take one home.

After the family picked out their puppy I walked outside to see their selection....there the daughter was with a darker colored golden in her hand. Now this was actually becoming a possibility. My skilled salesman father brought the light puppy inside for everyone to goo goo and gaga over. Bryan held her and was hooked.

I finally caved and said we could take her home (I think that Christmas, being a giving time of year affected my decision). Emily said that we should name her Lizzy. That was perfect because I just dropped Elizabeth from my own name, so now we were gaining a Lizzy back into the family.

Here is our new little baby, Lizzy:

- Rocky meeting Lizzy

- Bryan and Lizzy

- Enjoying the couch while we put up the Christmas tree

Donate water this Christmas....

2009-11-25T14:57:00.002-05:00

Watermark Conspiracy 2009 from Watermark Community Church on Vimeo.

Watermark is teaming up with ALARM, a ministry in Africa, to drill more water wells in Burundi and Uganda. They have already drilled 8 wells and have 21 more underway.

Due to their previous work children have been able to attend school instead of fetching water, families are able to set up a home of their own by the water wells to live a better life, and Watermark is able to share the gospel and love of Christ.

I'm going to donate to this because it's a worthy cause and I think everyone deserves clean water. Plus it's a great way to love this Christmas and share all that the Lord has blessed us with! After all it's His money, not ours. You can donate too if you would like to HERE

10 Great deals!

2009-11-25T11:13:00.003-05:00

1. Old Warsaw $25 gift card for $10

2. Amazon Black Friday Deals

3. Save $20 before noon on Black Friday at Hallmark

4. 20% off Bare Escentuals Foundation Kits
Now through December 1st

5. Aeropostale 50%-70% off everything

6. Chili's-FREE CHIPS AND QUESO

7. Old Navy 50% off all outerwear through 11/28

8. Gap- 50% off all men's and women's sweaters and 50% all kids and baby fleece's
through 11/29

9. Hobby Lobby- 40% any single item now through 11/27 (However, they have a new one every week on their site)

10. Mardel's- save 20% on your online purchase 11/26 only

This day last year.....

2009-11-24T16:12:00.010-05:00

I was asked to walk down the beach with this cute boy named Bryan. That day Bryan did the sweetest thing , he proposed to me in front of this cute lifeguard stand! I was in such shock and couldn't believe it was real. It was too perfect, gorgeous weather, on the beach in Sarasota and the most amazing sunset ever!

...ok so this is the staged proposal, I was balling my eyes out in the original. The re-play has the crazy orange sunset behind it though!

Most of these pictures can be seen on our wedding website! I never shared it with the blog world because you never know what kind of crazy spam you could get.

My favorite page is the photo album page.

Thanks Bryan for one of the best days of my life, Tuesday November, 25th, 2008!

20% off Coach

2009-11-24T12:01:00.005-05:00

{Offer found here}

You can find an outlet near you HERE

Who wants a Coach bag for Christmas or needs to buy one for someone? I do! I do, just kidding. I could never spend that kind of money on a bag. This 20% off coupon they have for outlets may help though:

When I grow up...

2009-11-23T15:24:00.003-05:00

When you were little what did you dream of becoming? I feel like when we were kids we had such a clear vision of what we wanted to become. Little boys want to be firefighters and little girls want to be ballerinas. As you get older things get more complicated and life changes. Also I feel like God's plan may not be anything that we had imagined and can be even better than what we had hoped for.

Growing up I always wanted to be a flight attendant. They were always the nicest people! Since Dad flew for TWA we would travel a lot then and were never disappointed with the service.

{image found here}

As I was finishing college I didn't really know what I wanted to do other than work in sports and so that is what I did. After having a few jobs since then and gathering up a few skills along the way it is clear that I like organization, tasks with a completion phase that I can cross off my list, time with people and overall work that is rewarding.

It is all clear now that I can use all of these skills and things that I enjoy in my new job as a personal assistant! I'm so looking forward to start working with Sunni on the 14th. That is when I do my first week of training with her. I'm so excited to be able to spend this time with her and learn the ropes. This job will be very rewarding and productive which I love both!

What did you want to be when you were little and what are you now? Is it all that you dreamed, more or less of what you expected it to be?

Woops a daisy...

2009-11-20T14:37:00.002-05:00

It all began last Wednesday night....Bryan, Mick, Kasey and me went to our favorite sushi place, which will remain nameless for the parties involved. We finished up some scrumptrulescent sushi and saaki.

After we completed our dinner the couple next to us left. I saw that they left so much food on the table, and I always think that is such a waste. So I dared Mick to eat a couple pieces of their sushi. He said yes, so I grabbed the big black plate with one piece left and then put a couple more pieces on there for good measure.

Just as Mick finished eating the last piece and saying how delicious they were, the couple walked back inside and to their table. My heart completely dropped, I thought they had left. About 15 minutes had passed and I guess they went out for a long smoke break. It would've been fine (well not fine) if we had just grabbed a couple pieces, but it was clear that their ginormous black plate was on our table and I had no time to get it back before they returned.

I was laughing uncontrollably and had to run to the bathroom so that I wasn't laughing in their face. Mick went to the bathroom too, leaving Kasey and Bryan to face the music. I felt horrible, but I could NOT contain myself.

After laughing to myself in the bathroom for a few minutes I returned to the table and Bryan said that he had told them. After gathering my composure I walked over to the couple and said I'm incredibly sorry, I told them it was a dare and I thought that they had left.

The guy laughed it off and said no biggie, however the girl was not so forgiving. I gave the waitress $10 and told them I hope that covered at least one of their rolls and I apologize ten more times!

Bryan says that is his most embarrassing moment too, poor guy. He may be having second thoughts about marrying me, just kidding.

Most embarassing moment?

2009-11-19T17:16:00.003-05:00

I had my first ever most embarrassing moment of my life last week. It also happened to be Bryan's most embarrassing moment too. I am willing to share, but only after I hear other peoples stories first. I can't be the only one who wants to get away like a Southwest commercial!!

Headed up North

2009-11-10T12:32:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again...Packers vs. Cowboys in Green Bay!!! I'm looking forward to taking another one of these:

This time we may have to bundle up a little more. It's supposed be a high of 47 and a low of 38. Our traveling group has grown quite a bit. Brad, Nick and Rob are coming too!

Before we go to the game on Sunday we are going to stop off in Madison on Saturday for the Wisconsin vs. Michigan game. Go Wisconsin!!

{Image found here }

We also get to stay with Nana and Bapa in Madison too! Then head up to Green Bay to see Laurie and John. Grandma is going to be there too! I'm looking forward to it!

It's a boy!

2009-11-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

I bet that scared a few people, not me but her. Brookie, my bestie, one of my matrons of honor is having a little boy!! We are so excited for her and Freeland!

Here's a fun little pic of the fabulous four:

I bet Brooke's face looked a little like that when they found out. Yay!!

Followers?

2009-11-03T16:23:00.001-05:00

Ditto on Elizabeth's post. If you follow my blog I would love to know! Please add yourself on the right so that I don't feel like such a loser, just kidding:)

Haircut?

2009-11-02T13:03:00.005-05:00

I'm ready to cut and color my hair. Going back to brown. It will probably be dark like this to start with:

However, I don't know how short I want to go. What do you guys think?

Short~

Medium~

or...Keep it long and just trim it?~

Halloween at work

2009-10-30T15:15:00.005-04:00

I remember when we used to play high/low with Brad. Everyone goes around the table saying the high point of their day and the low point. Here are today's updates for me:

High
Today was the bake-off and costume-off (not literally off) competition at work. I had to do some last minute shopping last night at the classy Wal-Mart to pick up my baby dolls of all races. I came to work and drew on a few tattoos and voila...Angelina Jolie!! I thought it was pretty creative but Mr. Dinosaur won instead:

I tried to bake a cake similar to Rachel's delicious almond liquer cake (I think she has a fancier name for it), like the one she did for my b-day:

The frosting was amazing, thanks Rach!! However, I thought the cake was a little dry. I may have left it in too long. Some people at work liked it so that made me feel a little better.

The high point was all the yummy treats we had! There was homemade cinnamon ice cream with schnickerdoodles, coffee/oreo pie, pumpkin bread, coffee crumb cake, muffins, caramels (amazing! here is the recipe if you want to make them), my cake, and some Brazilian snack, meat stuffed into bread with peppers that Keith made, he won the big prize, $50.

Low
The low part of my day was finding out that I had a flat tire. I drove Bryan's (our) Jeep and the tire was already pretty warn out and low so it wasn't too much of a surprise. I took it to Discount and got it fixed in 30 minutes so it wasn't too bad.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Luckily I can actually do something with myslef this weekend. After lounging around the house I'm ready to be productive and get some stuff done! Happy Friday and enjoy this beautiful fall weekend!!

P.S.- Go Packers!! Beat the Vikings!!

Congratulations!!

2009-10-29T11:56:00.008-04:00

The wedding planning for the Bakers is all done. It's just getting started for several of our friends though. I'd like to give a shout out to our recently engaged friends!!!!

Drumbroll please......

Miss Crystal Browning will be marrying Mr. Chris Gbandi. I feel like this is a newspaper ad, but is so fun!! I don't have the full story yet, but at least I have the news blast:

Also, the beautiful Sunni will be marrying Mr. Luke Handy in April. They are super excited and Fat Man is looking forward to the big day! I am so excited for her and can't wait to share in all of her happiness!!

(I realize this picture is of us and not Sunni and Luke, but I don't have a picture of him on my computer at work)

We are looking forward to the McSween wedding too!! Jason and Sara got engaged this past month in Hawaii! How romantic! Still waiting on the details for that one:

Yay for everyone!! I loved planning our wedding so if anyone wants any help I'm here if you need me!

Wedding pictures from the photographer!

2009-10-08T14:55:00.002-04:00

Check out our pictures from the wedding, here

On the left hand side you can select, ceremony, reception and so on to view. I haven't viewed them all yet, so far they look great though!

Thanks for an amazing wedding!!! Bryan and I had a wonderful time.

My surprise wedding gift!

2009-10-05T21:43:00.011-04:00

So Bryan kept telling me about how he couldn't wait to give me my present and that I would be so surprised. I was completely clueless to anything he had planned. So, I finally was able to see this surprise gift when we came home from our honeymoon a couple weeks ago.

Sunni picked us up from the airport and drove us to Bryan's house. As we turned onto the street Bryan says, "Oh you're present is here, close your eyes". I closed my eyes and thought he bought a car for me if he could see it from that far away.

We pull up to the house and Bryan walks me out of the car. He let me trip over a few things on the way in and then carried me over the "threshhold". He brought me into the house and set me on a table, then he said open your eyes.

I look up to see a place that I didn't recognize at all. It was our new kitchen!! Bryan had Jim and Jimmy work on re-doing our entire kitchen while we were away.

They did everything from counters, to floors, to all new appliances and cabinets. It looks amazing. What an awesome surprise!! Here are a few of the before and afters....

Before floors

After floors

Before Kitchen

After

Bryan is so sweet, I never would have expected a present this big. Now everyone has to come over and see it!!

Wedding!!!

2009-09-30T12:13:00.001-04:00

I don't even know where to begin so here's just a few pics and I will have to bust out the full story later:

We had an amazing time!! Thanks to you all!! Matt keeps asking me when we are going to do that again. I told him when Brad and Johnny get married. That will be so much fun!

Walking in honor of Jeanie

2009-08-31T12:58:00.004-04:00

We are going to be walking in the Tarrant County American Heart Association Walk on September 12th in honor of Bryan's mother that passed away in July of this year. Please join us by being there and walking or you can support our team online here

Here's a cute photo of Jeanie with Bryan's dad, Robert this past Valentine's.

Thanks for all of your love and support these past few months! We appreciate all the prayers and kind words.

3 weeks and 3 days!!!!

2009-08-26T11:23:00.004-04:00

September is right around the corner!!!! Aghh!! Pretty soon we will be doing this:

{image found here}

We're winding down all the minor details of the big day. Here are a few things left on our plate:

1. Order the cakes (no biggie, only takes a couple days)
2. Alterations for the girls
3. Drop 10 pounds
4. Something Old (Bryans family)
5. Something Borrowed (Brookie)
6. Create Slideshow
7. New Clothes for all the parties and honeymoon

Then we will be going here:

{image found here}

I'm super excited!!!!

I need a "motivational speaker"

2009-08-18T16:11:00.002-04:00

I'm in a rut from running right now and need to get back in the routine of things. It's so hard to start up again once you start. Any ideas, tips, words of encouragement are welcome.

If Bryan could run with me we could motivate each other like this:

Fun Wedding

2009-08-05T12:38:00.002-04:00

I want to have a blast like these guys did at their wedding! This video is awesome!! It just puts you in a good mood:

Megan & Mihir Sunday Wedding 8mm from A Bryan Photo on Vimeo.

I love that it's in Charleston too! Cuteness.

Pictures from the Shower

2009-08-04T17:48:00.009-04:00

We had a great time at the shower!! The girls did an awesome job of putting it together. I lost the clothes pin game about 5 minutes in. You couldn't say Bryan, wedding or gift so it was hard to speak at all!!

I had my sisters and my mom there

My new family was there too!

Me and my girls

Now being our goofy selves

All my beautiful new friends!! Most of these girls are Bryan's best friends wives. They are all so sweet!!

Here is one of my all time favs. The sisters picture!!!

I love this picture of Emi and Sunni! They look so beautiful

Me and the cute Mrs. Weaver

The sweetheart Mrs. Neidenfeuhr

Here are the breakfast trays I made for the hostesses

I had a terrific time and get more and more excited about the wedding every day!!!

Free Coffee

2009-07-27T12:21:00.001-04:00

Today you can stop by McDonald's and they are giving away free 7-8 oz mochas from 7am to 7pm!

Shower Time!!

2009-07-24T17:55:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited about the wedding shower this weekend!!! I can't believe we are getting so close. I'm pretty sad that Mrs. Ackley and Mrs. Weier will not be able to make it though:( However, I will get to see Miss Brookie in August!!!

I want to thank my precious friends that are throwing the shower. You guys mean the world to me and I am so blessed to have you all!!

Here are the sweetest girls ever-

62 miles and counting...

2009-07-16T10:29:00.003-04:00

So far since I started running, almost a total of 5 weeks, I have ran 62 miles!! That is bonkers. That would be like running from my house in The Colony to my parents in Whitewright + 6 miles.

I feel much better and have lost 5 lbs. I still have more work to do though. The hardest part is my root beer belly. It just won't go away!!

Amazon: Real Simple Magazine: $5 for a one year subscription!

2009-07-14T11:44:00.002-04:00

Amazon: Real Simple Magazine: $5 for a one year subscription!

To redeem, click HERE

As always, magazine subscriptions ship FREE from Amazon!

Offer found here

This is awesome!! I love this magazine!! Could be a great birthday or even Christmas gift.

We're getting closer...

2009-07-10T14:42:00.008-04:00

Things are winding down and we are approaching the 2 month mark. Craziness!! Pretty soon I will be Mrs. Baker and I get to marry this guy-

(pic from Brooke and Freeland's awesome wedding!!)

Yay!! I can't wait! I have my massive checklist and still feel like I am missing something. No worries, I'm sure we will be just fine! Here is what I have left off the top of my head:

1. Get Bryan's gift-in the works.
2. Order little boys tuxes.
3. Transportation from the wedding to the hotel.
4. Make and order programs and rehearsal invitations.
5. Need my old, new, and borrowed items.
6. Finalize Music with Big B (We're doing dinner on Sunday,yay!!!)
7. Meet with Gary (Crystal the Pistol's pops) to go over ceremony details.
8. Pick up wedding bands (on Saturday) and decide on what to engrave (clueless)
9. Order engagement and bridal portraits.
10. Get all guests to RSVP!!! Uber hard!!

Please throw suggestions or tips my way!!

Responses from engagement!

2009-06-30T16:45:00.002-04:00

These are fun to look back on. There are some good ones in here!!

1. Stephanie McLerran- “What the heck (after she noticed the ring)

2. Colvert- “It’s about time. We think the world of that girl! I would be honored to be your best man.”

3. Tim Bowen- “Oh my gosh! (while bringing us both in for a group hug)

4. Sunni Ellison- “I wanna scream right now I am so happy, but I’m in a doctors office, Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, ahhh.”

5. Anna Peavler- “Yay, wow that is like a movie.”

6. Chris Wilson- “Congratulations and he knew you were a keeper when he saw that pics from the Packer game.”

7. Haley McLerran- “Why are you getting married? Then Matt tells her because that is what you do”

8. Kim Polk-Rodriguez- “Congrats, congrats, con-freakin-grats! Love you guys!”

9. Jane MacNeil- “OHHHHHHHHH my gosh!!!!!!! That is soooo exciting!!!! congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Jamie Colvert- “Congratulations! I am so happy for the two of you. Jeremy and I are so excited.

11. Cathy Harkins- “OMG!!! CONGRATS!!!! SO happy for you and Bryan! Hope to see you soon!

12. Presley Rose- “Congrats Meagan!!! You're the first one out of the 4 freshman roomies!!”

13. Anne Embry- “OMG MEAGAN! Congratulations girl. Welcome to the world of marriage! :) Or .. soon to be marriage!!!

14. Janel Spiro- “aww Meggers! CONGRATS!! Marriage is awesome! I'm really happy for you!”

15. Brooke- “Oh my gosh, that is so exciting, Freeland Meagan is engaged!”

16. Rachel- “Lots of screaming, oh my gosh, oh my gosh Meagan I am so happy for you guys!”

17. Crystal- “OMG, congratulations, that is awesome.”

18. Brad Cast- “Bryan said that he would give Brad at least 6 months notice…then there was a silence and Karen grabbed my hand in the back of the car and said, oh my gosh Brad look!”

19. Nick Malory- “Aunt Meagan!”

20. Emily- “I just have one question- am I in the wedding?”

21. Dawn Watkins-“CONGRATULATIONS MEAGAN!!!!! Russ told me the wonderful news. I am so excited for you both.”

22. Kim Dutton- “Chris just shared with me your good news about yours and Bryan's engagement. Congratulations! Wow! I'm impressed. I didn't realize Bryan was the romantic type!”

23. Jim Rishel- “Just started laughing and then told Janet to look at my hand”

24. Connie Walker- “She told me- I can’t imagine a better girl than you”

25. Ian McLerran- “I’m excited that Bryan is going to be my uncle”

26. Chris Dutton- “He called from California made a point to congratulate us, and he said for Meagan to give Bryan a big hug”

September Stats

2009-06-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

This is good to know:

September in Texas
Average High Temperature - 88
Record High Temperature - 111
Average Low Temperature - 67
Record Low Temperature - 40
Average Rain Fall - 2.4 inches
Average Number of Rainy Days - 7
Average % humidity - 64

Info found here

Here comes the cake!

2009-06-25T17:42:00.002-04:00

We are going to go with these guys for the cakes! They have some yummy flavors. Check them out and let me know your favorite from the list

Bridal Portraits?

2009-06-24T17:58:00.002-04:00

I am having my bridal portraits this Sunday. We were going to take them at the arboretum, but since it will be a scorching 100 degrees I think we would be pretty miserable!

So, I'm thinking about looking into a nice hotel in Dallas, the aquarium, or the old railroad house in Ft. Worth. Not sure what these people will charge to take pictures there though, boo!! Does anyone have any suggestions for indoor places that will allow brides to come in without paying an arm and a leg?

3 Months Away

2009-06-19T11:47:00.005-04:00

I'm getting really excited! I can't believe we are only three months away. I know the time will fly so I am trying to soak it all in and enjoy it while it lasts.

Here a few highlights I'm looking forward to:

1. Matt man breakin it down on the dance floor:

2. Beautiful flowers like these

3. First Dances. I just hope I can make it through my dance with Dad. I can't even listen to the song the whole way through without crying.

4. The wedding shower coming up that these beautiful ladies are planning:

This means so much to me that they are planning my shower. I know it's going to be a fun day! Thanks to all of you guys!!

5. Seeing my family, cousins, and friends come together for one great night!

Sweet Caroline!

2009-06-17T14:50:00.013-04:00

This past weekend we had a surprise birthday party for my precious niece Caroline.
Although she wasn't too surprised and somehow figured it out we still had a great time! We were able to swim at Steph's in that 95 degree weather.

Here's a great one of the birthday girl squirting her PaPa

There was pinata action happening as well. Her strong big brother,Ian, busted it open

Caroline spinning Haley

Steph spinning Ian, a lot!!

Yummy birthday cake from Stein's. That is Steph and Mom's favorite

Johnny and Chelsea

Ian and Uncle Matt with some buddies

Sweet Emi and me

Bryan and me chowing down on our candy bracelet. I love those things!

Miss Haley with her Aunt Emi

Punk Proposal

2009-06-15T17:16:00.002-04:00

Pretty bad stuff. This is why you don't get into prank wars! That poor girl.

100 Days until the Wedding!!!

2009-06-12T11:50:00.002-04:00

Today marks 100 days until 9.19.09. I'm getting really excited about all the little details. It's going to be so much fun and everybody needs to be prepared to dance and have a good time, especially all you new mommies out there!!

Here are a few things that I have left to take care of if anyone has ideas or suggestions please chime in!

1. Flower girls/ring bearers attire. I have been looking online on craigslist and e-bay, but not finding too much. This is the flower girl dress I want for them.
2. Transportation after the wedding.
3. Bryan's gift
4. Song for the kids to walk out to for the ceremony

Random list I know, but it really has dwindled down quite a bit!

New Engagement Photos!

2009-06-11T11:11:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest engagement photos from the Dallas Arboretum. You can view them here

I love all the flowers and sculptures that they have there. We were able to do so many shots. I think one of my favorites is our back to back photo on this ledge. Even though it was pretty hot we had a good time. Enjoy the pictures!

Honeymoon-check!

2009-06-03T17:34:00.004-04:00

I'm super excited!!! Bryan booked our hotel at Karisma in Riviera Maya, Mexico!! It's a really nice resort that my friend Megan from work went to for her honeymoon and absolutely loved it! She said they have awesome food and tons of activities.

Here is a view of the swim up part of our room:

{image found here}

There is a lazy river that goes through the hotels. We can just hop in there from our room and go to the pool or swim up bar, how cool is that?!?

Here is the link to view the full room

This will make you drift off for a bit. It's the description of the room:

Swim Up Jacuzzi Jr Suites

Swim-Up Jacuzzi Junior Suites offer you convenience and luxury in equal measure. Here, the inviting waters of the lazy river are just off your terrace, ready to slip into for a trip to the main pool or swim-up bars. Or enjoy your Jacuzzi inside and surround yourself in the romantic elegance of your romantically appointed oversized suite.

I can't wait!!!

Florist?

2009-06-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

So things are winding down and I only have 3 months till the wedding!! Wohoo! One of the few big things left that I need to lock in is a florist. Anyone have any ideas? I may have Emi do a few small arrangements for smaller tables since she took a flower arranging class.

I don't want anything too outrageous, but would love anyones input on ideas. If you guys know anyone personally I always love helping out friends!

Back to work

2009-05-26T17:46:00.007-04:00

We are home from our adventures in Charleston. I have plenty of pictures to share don't you worry. We even made it to Savannah one day!

Here's a few previews of our little excursion together:

Folly Beach on a windy day (look at how cool the sand is blowing in the wind)

The beautiful old homes in Charleston

All dolled up for a night out on the town

Lunch on the patio at Red's. People drive up on their boats to eat too. Crystal's and my boat was in the shop:)

Walking in Savannah down to River Street. Crystal told me about her attempt to walk up this hill one time in heels. Not a good idea.

Charleston or bust!

2009-05-20T11:16:00.003-04:00

The road goes on forever and the party never ends! That's how I feel lately.
Miss Crystal and I are off to Charleston for the weekend!

Here are a few things we have planned:

1. Kayaking with her girlfriends on Friday at Folly Beach
2. See one of my old friends, Amy Katherine, from elementary school that lives there now!
3. Sunday night-wedding on the beach
4. We will hit up the beach and all of Crystal's favorite restaurants and shops in between all that!!

The weather is looking pretty nice with a slight chance of rain. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Ireland

2009-05-19T12:34:00.023-04:00

There are way too many pictures to post so I will just give you guys a few. We spent our 1st day roaming the streets and dropping in little pubs to check out the scenes there. We saw a little band consisting of a guitar and a flute. Hearing brown eyed girl with an Irish accent was pretty interesting! We watched the Barcelona v. Chelsea game which was pretty neat since everyone over there is avid "football" fans.

Ha'penny Bridge-

Here are the cute colored doors that you can see throughout the city-

We played golf our second day and met a really nice cab driver. He swung by a gas station on our way out to the course to grab a quick bite to eat. However, I was a little disturbed that my sandwich that looked like chicken salad was called, "Chicken and stuff". No I didn't read the label, I was a little freaked out by that and forced down half of the sandwich.

We went to the oldest pub in Ireland called the Brazen Head. It opened in 1198 and was frequented by people such as Winston Churchill. Pretty crazy stuff! This is where I met my friend Eileen. She asked if we could be pen pals which I thought was so cute. I just got my first card from her. It was too sweet. I think the last time I had a pen pal was in the 1st grade.

Brazen Head-

We took the train out east one day and saw the coast line. It was so pretty with the homes on the hills and whatnot. There was a family feeding a walrus and they were huge, the walrus, not the family! We enjoyed the sites, grabbed some seafood and then headed back to Dublin.

We stayed in a little apartment in the city just down the street from Temple Bar District. Here is our room on the fourth floor on the left-

We took a bus tour of the city and went on the Guiness tour and visited an old jail. We saw Trinity college, Phoenix park, St Patrick's cathedral and several other sites.

Guiness-

Taste Test-

Gravity Room (360 degree view of Dublin form the 7th floor)-

Kilmainham Gaol-

Trinity College-

St. Patrick's Cathedral-

It was great to learn so much about the history of the city. Next time I wish we could've seen more of the countryside. Bryan was able to enjoy that part of Ireland since he worked in Cork for the following week. I will post some of those pictures later.

Random note- the crosswalks make a little beeping noise and then it sounded like a laser shooting at you once it turned red. I have no idea why but I thought that was so cool. I will have to post the video I took of that so you guys can hear it too.

It's almost here

2009-05-15T15:11:00.004-04:00

I know this is way geeky, but Wolfram Alpha the new search engine is almost here. It's supposed to hit Google pretty hard. Check out this little tutorial.

This is great for school projects and winning arguments! You can type in your age, height and the duration of your run to calculate calories and other specifics. You can type in math problems and it will complete it for you. Great for stocks, financing, weather, and whatever else you have on your mind!

Super useful!!

Back home

2009-05-11T15:45:00.003-04:00

I'm back from Ireland and totally wiped out! Bryan is in Cork for work and will be home on Friday. We stayed in Dublin for 4 days and saw a good chunk of the city and the history. We made it out to the country side one day :( Next time I would definitely skip the city all together and head straight out to the country side and the coast. Just a little thought if you a re planning a trip to Ireland any time soon.

I will get the pictures up soon. There are so many pictures!!! It's great to be home! Now I just need sleep. I do have to say that I'm proud to be an American!

4/24 in LA

2009-05-01T17:44:00.015-04:00

This was a nice long day. We started with a continental breakfast at the Marriott. Yummy omlettes with jalapenos!! Then we hit the gym at the hotel. After that we headed out to Santa Monica so Tan could surf and we could chill at the pier.

We drove up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). I wasn't sure what that was when I first heard it myself.

It's crazy, all these surfers line up their cars on the street and change into their wet suit right there. I figured it must be pretty hard to get an indecent exposure ticket out there. So I...jk.

We drove over to Santa Monica Pier and checked out the sites. We walked under the pier. It reminded me of the movies. Then we went to Bubba Gump Shrimp.

After that we headed over to a sushi place and then this cute little Bull Dog bar and played darts. I took plenty of pictures for Sunni!

Then it was off to Thousand Oaks to the rehearsal dinner. We drove by Pepperdine which is in Malibu.

Here is the entrance to our hotel. It was a gorgeous place. Our view from the room was great too! We had some wine, great speeches and enjoyed the festivities. I will have to post the pictures from that night next. They are pretty funny!

4/23 in LA

2009-04-30T15:28:00.007-04:00

We flew into to LAX around 5 and picked up some In and Out burger with Bryan's friend Tan. This is a must every time Bryan goes to LA.

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After that we picked up the tuxes and then hung out at Chris's place to watch the end of the Mav's game.

They live in this really cute apartment in Beverly Hills. We went up on the roof to look at the hills and the city lights. Unfortunately it was a little cloudy so I have no pics of the hills.

Then we went to our hotel in Beverly Hills. We decided to walk around and found this neat little hotel called Avalon. Inside there was this cute little swimming pool and couches.

We ordered some yummy wine and enjoyed the beginning of our trip. Bryan thinks he saw the secretary guy from Entourage there. If it wasn't him it looked exactly like him.

California!!

2009-04-23T11:45:00.004-04:00

"Here we cooome!!!" Bryan and I are heading to LA for the weekend for his friend's wedding. Here is their site, it's really cute!

I'm so excited about our little vacation! Here is a picture of us from the last time we went out there.

and another with me and Kim

We plan to hit up the beach on Friday but it may be a little chilly. Everyone have a great weekend!

Please Sign!!!!

2009-04-21T15:30:00.003-04:00

Proposed Mastectomy Law Change

(written by a surgeon);

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.

So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress now. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick! The Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill is important legislation for all women.

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number..

Lifetime Petition

Proof that this is real

This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-16T11:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Mom and Dad's 31st anniversary! They are both beautiful people and I love them so much! Mom is the sweetest thing you will ever meet and Dad is an amazing father. God knew what he was doing when he brought them together.

They both have so much patience and love for us! Dad is the hardest working person I know and he bends over backwards for our family. Mom is precious and has loved us unconditionally. I aspire to be something like them as Bryan and I grow together. They are such an example to us.

Happy 31st Mom and Dad!

P.S.- This Saturday (at the Buffett concert) will Bryan and my anniversary of meeting:) It's almost like a half anniversary similiar to a half birthday.

Opening Weekend

2009-04-10T12:37:00.004-04:00

This weekend is opening weekend for Lonestar Park. I will be out there Saturday with Bryan and his family if anyone wants to join. It's only $5 before 5 pm to get in. I love watching the horses and maybe even win a few races!

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In addition to that we get to see the Beach Boys play that night at 6:30. They remind me of my dad. He always used to listen to them when we were little.

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My Bapa used to take us to the horse races when we were younger, which didn't sit to well with Nana and Mom. One time he said, I'm taking the kids to A&W for lunch. Next thing I know Steph, Brad, me and Johnny are throwing a dollar down on a horse. The horse won and we all had a blast. Mom and Nana were waiting at home for us to return so that wasn't so fun for Bapa. I thought it was cool to take your grandkids gambling? Is it not? I thought we were under the trust tree?

Let me know if any of you guys want to meet up on Saturday. It will be 71 and sunny, a great day to be at the races and an outdoor concert!

Shoes!

2009-04-07T17:57:00.004-04:00

I have started the almighty shoe search for the wedding. Tell me what you think.

1. The girly ones

2. The strappy ones

3. The shorter heel

4. The similar girly one

How would you introduce Christ to a room full of people?

2009-04-03T12:34:00.001-04:00

Rachie, I thought of you when I saw this because it's your man, Steve Harvey. Pretty awesome!

Check out this guy

2009-04-01T12:04:00.000-04:00

This is so funny, the drunk guy on a motorized barstool! Wow, dumb and innovative at the same time.

{image found here}

Notes from the officer:

"I asked him what happened, Mr. Wygle stated, 'I wrecked my bar stool.'"

"I asked Mr. Wygle how much alcohol he had to drink, he said, 'a lot.'"

"I asked if the bar stool even ran and said, 'yes, it will go around 38 miles per hour.'"

Yikes! That is pretty bizarre that he can go that fast and not wipe out every time! I guess that cool rollerblade wheel on the back is so he won't fall backwards?

For my veil...

2009-03-31T17:29:00.000-04:00

Let me know which of the three you guys like. I'm sure Bryan's not supposed to see these but oh well. I want other people's opinions. I'm trying to figure out what length looks best not necessarily these styles.

1. Short

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2. Elbow

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3. Fingertip

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What is Swagbucks?

2009-03-30T17:38:00.000-04:00

1. Follow this link
2. Register
3. Instead of going to Google.com when you do a search, just go to www.swagbucks.com instead
4. You will get points for doing searches which you can turn in for free gift certificates-so easy!

{from the blog of Money Saving Girl}

Supposedly you get gift cards from Target and other cool places. I just started and have a whopping 5 points!

I wish I could dance like this...

2009-03-26T16:26:00.000-04:00

P.S.- Turn up the sound

We may have to try this one at the wedding.

Ireland!!!

2009-03-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited Bryan and I are going to Ireland in May!!!! This trip is definitely on my bucket list and I cannot wait! If anyone has any places we should see, stay, or eat at let me know.

We will be flying into and staying in Dublin:

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Pepsi is based in Cork so he is going for work already. So, we decided this would be the best and possibly only time for me to go too.

Yay! New Blog

2009-03-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

I love our new blog created by a sweet friend, Marina. Also known as Penny Lane Designs. It's funny how the blog world can tie all random parts of your life together. For instance here is another blog that she created of another friend of mine.

She also is familiar with this little lady from the blog world. Can we say six degrees of Kevin Bacon?

Happy Monday. I'm off to dinner with the fam and Grandma. She is still in town!

Gorgeous Day

2009-03-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to my half day today. I want to go here with Grandma. It's a beautiful day today and I want to be outside as much as possible!

They have the Spring Blooms right now and they are so pretty!

Grandma is here!

2009-03-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

My grandmother from Milwaukee came in town today! I'm super excited to see her. She has to get away from the cold and come down South a couple times a year. She is coming to my place tonight to have spaghetti with the fam. Then she is staying with me! I plan to take her to the wedding site tomorrow to check everything out.

All my friends that have met Grandma can attest she can drink more wine than we can and party with the best of us. She is the life of any party and such a joy to be with. Yay for Grandma time!!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

2009-03-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was a kid I have also loved St. Paddy's day. Grandma sent us cards when we were little and I even took Irish step dancing with my sister and this lovely lady.

I love that our last name is Cavanaugh, it's such a fun name! Here's a little about our heritage.

- Our coat of arms
-Looks like most Cavanaugh's were settled in the Southern part of Scotland
- More history

There doesn't seem to be much history about St. Patrick, but from what I can gather he was missionary and that sounds pretty good to me!

Here is a tad bit from Wikipedia about him:

When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken from his native Wales as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the church, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked

I always enjoy going down to the parade on Greenville to see all the nonsense. It's fun because you can get away with wearing stuff that you would never wear on any other day. For instance I was able to wear my hot pink Toms and actually got several compliments on them too!

Here are a few fun ones from last year. It was a little prettier out then so I thought I would share these.

I leave you with a few Irish Blessing and Quotes:

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

When Irish eyes are smiling,
'Tis like a morn in spring.
With a lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
~Author Unknown

A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have. ~Author Unknown

Save Money This Weekend!

2009-03-13T15:37:00.000-04:00

This is GREAT....click on link to get coupon!

Wonderful shopping:)

Feel free to pass it along...

For 4 days only March 12- 15 benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society. Save 30% off your total purchase.

Florists?

2009-03-09T17:36:00.000-04:00

I know I'm talking about every single possible topic and area for the wedding, but...Does anyone know or recommend any florists?

Here are a few ideas that I really like:

Sneak Peak...

2009-03-06T17:45:00.000-05:00

Here's just a preview of our wedding website....

I know it's kind of tiny, but I'm super excited about it. More to come...

HAPPY FRIDAY and almost HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CRYSTAL THE PISTOL!

We graduated!

2009-03-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

Bryan and I have completed our pre-marital class at Watermark. It was a great experience and I'm so thankful that we have laid the ground work for our marriage. Here are a few of the topics we covered.

1. Communication and Conflict
2. Spiritual Intimacy
3. The Roles of a wife and a husband
4. In-laws
5. Finances
6. Five Love Languages-Bryan is quality time and acts of service. I'm quality time and words of affirmation. May look cheesy but it's really neat and shows you how to effectively love one another.
7. Sex- nuff said
8. The differences of a woman and a man

I would recommend this class to anyone. We truly learned a lot about each other. They shared fun ideas for the future and ways to prepare yourself for that now by asking questions and being honest with each other.

If there are any suggestions you have or experiences that you have shared with your husband or wife let me know. I love hearing stories about other couples.

Yikes- Cake Prices

2009-03-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Bryan and I had our first cake tasting this past weekend. It was quite an experience. He is not much of a cake fan so he rated most cakes a 3 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best). I think this may have hurt the ladies feelings a bit when Bryan made the bitter beer face after each bite.

I had a major stomach ache after the tasting and swore those off from here on out. I will have to take Emily or some other cake fan, maybe miss Rachel with me next time for their opinions.

On top of all those wonderful feelings the quote for the cake was $700. I think we'll do cupcakes...totally kidding. However I am down with someone who does cakes on the side that can deliver a yummy pretty cake to our wedding under that outrageous amount.

If anyone knows a cake lady or man please let me know. I would rather help out a friend of a friend anyways.

Happy Hump Day!

Johnny's B-day party

2009-02-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight we are going here, to play this,
For those of you that don't recognize that interesting photo, we are going to play whirley ball! Here is the set up:

1. Bumper Cars
2. With Lacrosse sticks
3. Throwing a ball into a basketball type hoop

Pretty interesting. Then we are off to Fox Sports to have dinner with John and his friends. I can't believe he's going be 22. That is nuts! He's still my little baby though:)

Meagan the Baker

2009-02-25T17:18:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been adventurous in the kitchen. I think it's time I learn how to cook since I will be a "Baker" after all. I asked Bryan if he would take my last name, but he said no. So with that said here are a few of the yummy things I have made lately and the feedback from friends and family:

1. Tortilla Soup- Huge hit! Sunni says this is her favorite! Mom,Emi, Stal and Bryan all loved it as well.

2. Spinach Artichoke Dip- Used all of this except the chilies. It's super quick and easy. It only took 20 minutes to cook. I made it for our girls happy hour and they loved it!

3. Venison Chili- Absolutely amazing. I made it when it was cold outside and it was perfect.

4. Hamburger Casserole with mashed potatoes on top- I can't find the recipe on this one, but no worries it was my least favorite.

5. Funfetti Cake Balls- If you make these properly they are awesome! I put too much liquid in the white chocolate and ruined it. Note to self follow this recipe closely and if you need to make the chocolate thinner then add a dab of oil.

I'm looking forward to experiencing more recipes soon. If you have any favs you would like to share then let me know.

FAT TUESDAY

2009-02-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

In honor of Fat Tuesday here's a little history behind why it is called that and why people celebrate this crazy day:

Fat Tuesday is an unofficial celebration that is generally recognized by those of the Catholic denomination of Christianity, or any by other group that fasts for the Lent during that same time (this would exclude the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox denominations, for example,for they do not generally celebrate Lent at the same time). It is celebrated on the day before Lent begins so that those that fast can "pig out" for a day before it is time to fast from gluttony and recognize the Feast of Resurrection. Hence the name "Fat Tuesday." The Feast of Resurrection, commonly known as Easter, is on a Sunday each year, and the fast of Lent lasts 40 days each year, according to Catholicism. Therefore, Lent always begins on a Wednesday, so Fat Tuesday is annual celebration. (Source- Wikianswers.com)

Please behave and a have a fun night!