17 : The Trip

Usually on my birthday, my mom will buy me ONE present.

An iPod. A Bike. A computer. 

Well this particular year, I wanted an airline ticket.

And I got one!

It was the first time I flew alone and I was only 16 when I flew so I qualified for

Unaccompanied Minor.

Yup. You read that right.

My mom paid extra so I would get extra care because she was scared.

I was happy she did because Orlando airport is crazy so embarrassed. 

Didn't she know I was about to be 17?

Geez.

Have you ever flown airtran before? They are my favorite airline except for Southwest!

They had awesome service, and were soooo nice! Oh and cheap ;)

 Oh right, so why did I wanna go?

To meet this girl.

Shawna.

 You see, Shawna's a nerd.

She plays World of Warcraft.

So does my mom.

And I did then.

That's how we met...total strangers but best friends.

Like you and me right? Yes you, quit denying it.

You love me!

 Please pay no mind to what I'm wearing.

What's in the Build A Bear box you ask?
Uhh My Hannah Montana Bear, that's what!

So I begged. And begged.

Like any 16 soon-to-be 17 year old would do.

And she agreed and bought the ticket!

Right now you may be saying "WHAT?!!?"

She let her daughter fly states away to stay with a stranger?!?!

Well yeah, and it sounds sketchy but it wasn't!

Shawna has a son named Tao and oh gosh is he a cutie.

And last year she had a baby girl Brielle who I have yet to meet.

Uh...anyone wanna fly me to FL? ;)

That big blue space in the back is the ocean, I was completely terrified! 

There were tropical storms and we had to go wayyy out in the water to avoid them.

I was convinced I was going to die!

Well that's all I got for my 17th Birthday!
Thanks for checking it out :)

xoxo Meghan

P.S. Did you enter my birthday giveaway yet? Only 2 days left!

17 : The Party

Today I am going to share with you my 17th Birthday.
Nothing im pressive by any means, but we reeeallly got my grandpa this year ;)

Like come on, look how crappy my cake was!
Love it :)

 Another picture with the Soulie.
And yes, that is a pirate banner in the background...who cares?

Tomorrow I am going to show you my big present that went with turning 17 :)
Here's a hint, it involves an airplane!

xoxo Meghan

P.S. Have you entered my Birthday Giveaway yet? Remember you can tweet everyday!

The Big one!

You see, birthdays around here aren't like normal birthdays.
I have had the same party every year ages 10-18.
People gather in my kitchen, find a way to surprise Grandpa...simple huh?

Well my 18th was particularly special,
because 'ol Gramps was turning 75!

So we surprised him with this little gem:

 

The entire party, people kept asking why out cake said 1875 when it is 2010.
really?!

 

Hello Awkward Hand. Hello Awesome Grandpa.

And what Birthday is complete with a soulie mirror picture?

We didn't mean to match! Happens often. Twins!

And this bright idea happened when it was wayyy too late. We decided to "camp" in my backyard. Laptops included. And this happened. We can forget this anytime now, kay?

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the year 1875 our joint party!

xoxo Meghan

P.S. Have you entered my birthday giveaway yet? Don't forget you can tweet everyday!

DIY-Inspiration Jar!

In honor of birthday week, what is better than a DIY project?

I got this lovely idea from Jessica!
(She's also my featured sponsor this month, all the more reason to check her out!(; )

I took scrap papers, and all those lovely quotes from My Words Board on Pinterest, and whipped this together for the Soulie :)

Ta-Da! A simple craft, but one that has some awesome results!

Ashlee was going through t bad break-up at the time and a lot of these quotes made her smile, which was all I wanted :)

She made me one too but it is packed away in the move :(

Hopefully you will be seeing more DIY's around here soon!

xoxo Meghan

 P.S. Happy 77th Birthday Grandpa!
Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

The Start of My Birthday week[GIVEAWAY!]

 I have been anxiously awaiting today!
The start of my Birthday Week!
The Giveaway will be open until 4/30, my actual birthday,
&I will announce the winner the next day!

 

Today is my Grandpa's Birthday and tomorrow I will share a little about him!

Without anymore distractions,

 here is what ONE lucky winner will get:
There will be 2 vintage rings from me, but those are a surprise out of my personal jewelry stash ;)

 

Sponsor Spotlight 2!

Another Sponsor Spotlight to introduce 3 more lovely ladies to you :)

Meet Sue from Hello. Also, I love you!
Her blog is so cute! She is currently living in Japan and shares about her life there.

I don't know about you, but I think that is pretty freakin' awesome!
Oh, the things she puts in giveaway are to die for!

Blog//Bloglovin'

 Favorite Post You have written: was about my divorce. It's not really about divorce but about moving on and finding strength when you thought you had none.


Favorite Blogger: It's so hard to pick a favorite! I love Daneilia. She and I have developed a special connection through blogging, emailing, and vlogging and we're adding letters into that mix too! She's just so sweet and wonderful.


Why do you blog? I blog because I love to write about and photograph my life. My blog is my personal documentation of my life and it's a way to share the things I'm going through with the people I love that can't be here with me every day. My mom is my blog's biggest fan.


If you saw/experienced something that made you pee your pants, what would it be? I'm not sure what this is meaning... as in what would scare me that bad? I don't think anything. You could possibly make me laugh that hard but I doubt it. I have pretty great bladder control.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am thrilled to introduce:

Lena from Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby!

She doesn't even know it, but she is the first person who ever made me really feel like people care about my little blog.

I tweeted about needed people for my giveaway and she responded! I had assumed I would get no answer like usual, but nope, there she was! So thanks Lena :)

Blog//Facebook//Twitter

Favorite Post You have written:  most recently, it would be this one:  Ruby, for a day

Favorite Blogger:  AbsoluteMommy because she's real, she's funny, she's kind, she's honest, she's clever... I just love her to pieces! She's become a great blog friend!

Why do You Blog:  I've always loved documenting my life... I kept journals and diaries when I was younger.  Now, I blog as a means to stay sane! It's my outlet, and a great hobby.  I blog now to meet new people, gain perspective, to stay creative...

If you saw/experienced something that made you pee your pants, what would it be?  Hmmm... I dunno.  Being surprised, but in a bad way... like accidently stepping on a snake or something creepy like that!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Megan from Absolute Mommy!

I just started reading her blog, she is too sweet!

I can't wait to get to know her better :)

Plus as you read above, Lena loves her!

Blog//Facebook

Favorite Post You have written: My post about my PPD struggle.  I had just started blogging, but this is the post that I get the most comments on, and still get emailed about.  Excuse any typos, I was still very new at blogging.  And it's long, so grab a snack.

http://absolutemommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/big-girls-dont-cry.html

Favorite blogger: What?  No you can't do this to me!  The blogger who has made me want to blog better.  To tell my story, and to still have fun is Little Miss Momma.  Most of the blogs that I follow today, are because I 
found her blog in a desperate google search to make cake pops last summer.  That is the honest truth!

Why you blog:

I blog to have something of my very own.  To be able to connect with other moms and women who may be feeling a lot like I feel.  Sometimes we just need reassurance that we are not the only ones out there.  I thing blogging also allows me to work out my issues in words.  That helps a lot!

If you saw/experienced something that made you pee your pants, what would it be? Sneezing 9 months pregnant is a guarantee pants changer.  Just sayin!

**GUEST POST** Brooke!

Hi Everyone! I'm Brooke- a writer, mother, student, military wife, photog wannabe, and Jesus Lover. I want to thank Meghan for having me today! I blog over at Covered in Grace and would love it if you stopped by. Be sure to check out some of my features: Photography Challenges, Love...on a Tuesday, and Monday Meet Ups.

Today I want to share with all of you lovely Struggling Cyster readers something that I really love incorporating into my blog posts.

I really love taking photos,always have. And I totally consider myself a wannabe photographer.

So I'm always looking for something new and fun to "push my limits." 

Here in Hawaii, the photo opportunities are abundant.
I am constantly struck with awe at the Beauty in Creation that I am blessed to be witness to.
This passed week my Grandma was in town and we went around to all my fav places.
I took hundreds and hundreds of photos. Here are just a few...

As you can see, I really dig taking pictures of flowers! 

I love looking for opportunities to find photos that I might not usually look for otherwise.
It is amazing what you can find in the most unlikely places.

You don't have to live in Hawaii, though, to find amazing shots.
Just look around you. Go outside and search for an abandoned building, a weedy flower, a rusty fence.
You will be surprised at the gorgeous photos you can get when you squat down low and hold your camera high.

So harness your inner-shutterbug, Struggling Cyster readers, and start snapping away.Be sure to stop by and let me know about any fun new photos you've taken. Don't forget to check out my Photo Challenge Page for ideas.
And thanks again to Meghan for having me today! XXO!

Wordless Wednesday

 The first thing we bought after losing her <3

 Dustin used to call me cupcake and proudly told me that if we had a girl she would be our cupcake :)

 When the feet of sleepers are animals, I snatch them all up!

 Dustin adores kimono onesies and shirts!

 Uhhh How cute is this? 

 The Daddy one was part of Dustin's Valentine's Day Present :)

 Is this not the CUTEST onesie? The little bib detaches!

 <3 Mommy

The first thing I got in the mail after finding out I was pregnant.

xoxo Meghan