What to do next...

I am having a really difficult time swallowing the "unemployed" pill. Yes, I do have a full time job. But it's not even closely related to what my degree is for.

I am a medical receptionist. Most of the time I like my job. Other times I can't stand it. I never thought I would see myself AFTER college working a desk job and catering the public.

You see, a few years back I was at MCC taking classes towards a childhood education degree. I thought, shit, I want to teach kids. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. I can't stand other peoples children. I began working in one of the local elementary schools with 1st and 2nd graders and ended up volunteering with the class even after the class work ended. I fell in LOVE with those children. Sure, getting up at 6 am every morning really cramped my college lifestyle of sleeping in until noon, but I looked forward to my Fridays in the school. But in the back of my mind I wasn't so sure I could spend the rest of my life dealing with those boogers.

So, when it came time to transfer from community college to a big kid college, I was slapped in the face with a huge dose of reality. I didn't get into a single college that I applied to in order to finish out my undergrad work. Are you serious? And my overall GPA wasn't even bad. I was pissed and beyond upset. But it was a wake up call. It made me evaluate the big overall question; "Do you really want to teach children?" And that answer ended up being no. I didn't.

I have always been obsessed with crime. Murder. Police work. I decided my childhood dreams of solving murder mysteries was the next best thing in my career. I decided to apply to a great local college, RIT. And luckily, I got in. I loved that school. I loved my professors. I loved what I was learning. I excelled at that school because it meant everything to me. And I graduated in May of 2011 with honors. Meghan, graduated with honors. If you knew anything about my schooling growing up, you would know how much I hated school and how badly I sucked at it.

So here I am today, a graduate from a fantastic school with no job. I have applied to several jobs, all in which I get letters stating, "Sorry, you're not qualified." Are you kidding me? Seriously? I feel like those 2 years of busting my ass was a complete waste. The truth of the matter is, I chose criminal justice to be my degree. And every job in the CJ field is a job that even people with a GED can apply for. Why did I spend all that time and all that money on a degree when I could have competed with Joe Schmo who has nothing but a GED?

I don't necessarily regret my college experience or degree, I just wish I had thought about it more. I am 25 and a receptionist. It feels like a serious failure. I cry about it. It's devastating to me.

At 25, I am once again re-evaluating my life path. Do I keep trucking along and hoping I can find something? Or do I go back to school for nursing. I can get a 2nd bachelors in nursing in a year at the U of R. I can be employed in a year. Nursing is a growing field with job shortages.

And not to mention, I want to be a mother. I am getting married in April and we want children. How fair would it be to my family to go to work, strapped with a gun and potentially lose my life doing patrol, when I could easily go back to school, get a 2nd degree and be in a much safer environment? I do love the medical field. Shit, I have been working in it all throughout college. I just always said reception was NOT my career. I am too smart to be wasted on a desk job.

My mom is a nurse. My sister is a nurse. My dad has worked in medical facilities all his life. And my step dad is a neurosurgeon.

I have been getting really excited about going back to school and accomplishing a new task in my life. I just want to make sure that after THIS degree that there is SOMETHING out there for me. I don't think I can take yet another slap to the face. haha.

So, wish me luck, because after the new year (when the colleges re-open) I will be setting up meetings and deciding if nursing is a real and tangible opportunity for me.

Best Friend Time

Well, tonight was a great time. Two of my best friends since high school were in town for the holiday. I haven't really had time off from work besides the actual holiday so today was the only day I could spend time with them.

We met at Carrabba's for dinner. Well Jess, Amy and I did. Nina was meeting us afterwards! We basically ate like we have never seen food before. It was delicious. I even had calamari tonight. Ew. Squid. But the breading was so damn salty that I had no idea I was eating squid so that was a plus.

Afterwards, we met up with Nina at Spot. Just to have time to hang out and have some girl talk. We spent the evening reminiscing on high school memories. All are completely ridiculous. And apparently there are videos out there. Some I don't even remember filming so I have to pester Amy to send them to me so I can see what she was talking about.

And then Stewie happened. Apparently there was a field mouse in the coffee house. Are you serious? I never saw it but Nina & Jess did. Twice. Amy started screaming and climbed on top of a table. In the middle of the coffee house. lol. Everyone was staring at us like we were crazy people. But hey, mice are scary little shits.

This was right after Amy screamed. She jumped into Nina's chair to get away from the mouse. 

It was nice being able to have a girls night out. Jess and I are the only ones left in town, so it's always nice when all four of us can be together and have good times together.

And I leave you with that sexy face. Goodnight. 

Merry Belated Christmas

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Yes, that's my VERY naked tree. Joey didn't decorate the tree this year. I can't decorate it because he insists on buying a real tree & I can't touch real trees without breaking out in hives. So it has ONE lonely ornament that my mom bought us.

Well, this holiday season has been eventful! I worked the 22 & 23rd so getting last minute shopping done for Christmas Eve/Day didn't really happen this year. Every one's gifts were pretty much Target gift cards! Which, hey, I love Target. So, if I were on the receiving end, I would have loved that gift.

On the 24th, Joe & I woke up to a text from our good friend Dave who informed us that his brother was involved in the Christmas Eve Ambush in Webster. Thankfully, he was not one of the firefighters that lost their lives that day. It's just sad to think that this guy committed murder (he beat his grandma to death with a hammer) decades ago and then released from prison, only to commit arson, murder and attempted murder all over again. What a waste of a human being. Dave and his family have been in our thoughts ever since and I am so thankful doctors say his brother will pull through!

My beautiful Mom & Princess Harper on Xmas Eve
(this was the ONLY photo I took over the holidays!) 

Christmas Eve morning I headed to my moms. I made sure I wore the ugliest sweater I could find. We spent pretty much all day there. We did a chinese gift exchange & I won a TON of bread and bread products. My Mom & her husband also made a VERY gererous donation for Joe & I to use for the wedding! I got to hang out with both my siblings which is always a plus. We had chinese for dinner. Afterwards we headed to my Aunt's to meet up with my Dad's side of the family. We played Cards Against Humanity. What a freakin' hilarious game! If you don't like things that are crude then I don't really recommend this game. But my family is insane. I feel like this game was made for us. lol.

After my Aunt's, Joe & I went home & he spoiled me with presents even though we said we wouldn't exchange gifts! I got my new Dyson vacuum that I have been eyeing. Boy oh boy it sure is an amazing vacuum! The thing is like a suction machine! My other vacuum would just blow shit around.

He also got me pet steps so my puppy prince can come up into bed without me having to break my back 12 times a night to pick him up.

He got a surround sound bar (for himself) for our master bed room & some tupperware. Not really sure which one of us is losing them all but our stock of like 60 has dwindled down to like 30 pieces haha. I dont think it's me misplacing them but who knows.

Christmas Day went as follows:

He cooked Christmas dinner and we took one meal to his Dad's at assisted living and did gifts there & then we took a 2nd dinner up to the hospital to Dave & his family to make sure they had good eats on Christmas.

I went up to visit my sister who was working in the same hospital & eventually her & I took off to go my Dad's house to do Christmas with him around 8pm. It was late but she had to work a double shift @ the hospital and my Dad really wanted to see Kay, Jake & I all together, so we had a late night celebration.

Joe met up with us @ my Dads after he got to visit with Daves family. My Dad & his fiance, Lisa, got all of us really sweet gifts. Movie buckets filled with candies, movies & blankets. Homemade calendars for each of us with pictures relating to our lives (which is nice because we haven't picked out a new calendar this year). Giftcards and digital picture frames. I think I got a couple other things but I cant remember.

Movie Bucket 

Obviously crime movies because I love that shit

My homemade calendar. Yes that's me as a tot... in a towel... like a boss #getlikeme
Oh yeah, & my face in the picture on the right IS fucked up. It was halloween & I was the dead girl from The Ring

I made out pretty good this year! I got both Christmas Eve & Day off to spend the whole holiday with my family & got some great gifts!

I am so thankful I have my family here with me. After the shooting & everything, you kind of have the reality check to say "Man, I am blessed." Everyone was safe, at home & happy.

Soon to be Brides

I have been a freak about this whole wedding planning. I love being uber organized and I have found some amazing websites that I thought I would share.

1. The first website I found was Wedding Bee. It is GREAT for the DIY bride. I want to save as much money as possible throughout this process & I am sure Hubs to be would like to me saving as much as I can as well. It also has a classified section where brides are selling their gently used wedding memorabilia for a fraction of the cost. I used this site mostly for DIY ideas.
2. Another favorite of mine that I find myself gawking is Style Me Pretty. This website is just fun to browse. Other brides share their wonderful wedding stories and all of them give credit to their vendors at the bottom of each post, so if you see something you like, chances are you can either find credit in their story or at the bottom of the site! It's pretty fun to look at!
3. Another great site for the DIY bride is DIY Wedding. Tons of stuff at a fraction of the cost.
4. If you want a great wedding planner without the cost I suggest Russell and Hazel . The link will take you to where you can purchase a binder, however if you look right below what the set includes it gives you FREE downloadable/printable sheets! And they have a sheet for everything. It has literally kept me on track!
5. & last but not least, obviously, Pinterest. Most already know what Pinterest is, but in case you dont, it's this great website that is broken down by a bunch of categories ( & of course there is one for weddings) where you get all these great copy cat ideas! You pin what you like to a board & it's saved until a day you decide to actually use it. It's great for online hoarding. You can see my own personal Pin Board 

Rules of the Road

What is it about driving that gets so many people riled up? Is it the fact that many people don't give themselves enough time on their commutes to and from work? Or is it morons on the road that just slow us down?

I dont know what it is about drivers but one observation I have made (well, more like Joe had pointed out & it has caused me to notice it more) is that women SUCK at driving. Not just a little bit, but a whole freakin lot. We just suck at driving.

Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I will probably offend other women. But 99% of us need to own up to the fact that most of us (not all) suck at driving. If only everyone drove like me (haha), getting to work would be a much easier task & probably would leave me with a lot less grays.

Here are my rules of the road:

1) The gas peddle is on the right. Push it & you will roll forward. In my opinion it should be pushed to the floor board while on the expressway. Stop going 55mph, you wuss. Step on it.

2) The left lane is for people like Dale Earnhardt and people like me. Get the hell out of the left lane if your plan is to go 55 in a 55. The left lane is my spot. It's for the people who like to drive 75 or 80. There is nothing I hate more than cruising on down 590 and having to slow down for grandma who is going the speed limit.

3) If you see me cruising on down the left lane and you actually are one who check your side view mirrors before moving over, don't move over in front of me and slow me down. I swear, some people do this intentionally.

4) Use your damn blinker. I hate when people slam on their brakes and decide "Oh hey, I guess I should turn here, right this very second and give the guy behind me no damn warning."

5) Flicking me off doesn't offend me. So don't waste your time. Keep your finger on the steering wheel you pansy.

6) Hey Asshole, turn your damn lights on at night, oh and in the rain too. If you don't realize you don't have them on, then you're obviously not paying attention enough & probably shouldn't be driving anyways.

7) No, there is no unicorn in front of you. You don't need to brake when no one is in front of you.

8) Rubber necking is for losers. Pay attention to what's in front of you. Chances are the douche on the side of the road was rubber necking the hot chick picking her nose & rear ended the car in front of him. Pay attention & don't slow down to be nosey.

9) Pull over for ambulances & police. Or move over a lane when HELP trucks, officers, or construction is off to the side. Usually you have two other lanes to be in. PS- if this means you move in to my left lane & slow me down, I will let it slide for the safety of others on the side of the road.

10) And lastly, texting while driving (& I am guilty of committing this offense every now & then) but really, we all could save it for later. Nothing is so important that you need to place your life & my life in danger. Chances are your boob shot for your boyfriend or wiener shot for your girlfriend can wait a few minutes.

Continuation from yesterday

So I wake up to more news on this 20 year old that shot up the elementary school yesterday. The new information out today only strengthens my position, in my opinion.

The kid has Aspergers syndrome, which is a high functioning form of autism. The kid was known as being socially disconnected but wickedly smart. He shot up his mother at their house before heading to her p

lace of employment and shooting up HER classroom. This was clearly an issue of mental disability along side of some form of distaste for his mother (even though she devoted her life to him & caring for him). This is NOT a gun issue. This kid would have never been able to obtain/purchase a gun legally due to his syndrome. It just further proves that if someone has it in their mind to do harm, they will get the necessary weapons to do so, illegal or not.

Gun Control

Today, something unthinkable and terrifying happened today. A young, 24 year old gunman decided to shoot up an elementary school. The main reaction by many that I am reading is that we need some stricter gun control laws.

If you know me at all, you know I am an avid firearms person. Our 2nd Amendment states it is our right as Americans to carry a weapon. Every able body & mentally sane person should be strapped with a weapon. It's times like these that guns are imperative to our survival. That shooter knew he was entering a facility where there would be no one to fight him. He knew no one in that building was carrying a weapon. When is America going to realize in order to protect our persons you need to take advantage of our constitutional rights and arm themselves?

I dont believe in gun free zones. They breed crime. Every mass murder we have experienced over the years has been in a gun free zone. Do you think a shooter would have entered that school if security, school officials and even teachers were allowed to have protection on them? No way. There would have been too much of a risk of getting shot and ending their rein of terror too soon. And that's exactly how we want them to feel.

The average response time of police is 6 minutes. For those of you that have seen my videos, my average response time with my pistol is 1.31 seconds (based on the one caught on camera). I shot even better, with a shot 1.29 seconds. You tell me which is more efficient, waiting 6 minutes for the police to arrive, or 1.29 seconds for me to draw my weapon and end the rampage right then and there.

It upsets me so much that people feel guns are the issue. Guns aren't the issue. It's that people aren't arming themselves. It's that there are gun free zones everywhere that prohibits Americans from being able to protect themselves against incidents like today.

Dont believe me- look at incidents like Columbine, Virginia Tech, Omaha Mall Massacre, The midnight movie massacre with the infamous Joker, and many many more. All these shootings took place where guns were not allowed. Suspects prey on the weak.

My thoughts are that many people are uneducated and don't know the first thing about pistols or any other gun for that matter. They see it as a killing machine. Some people I have been around feel it's practically a sin to touch a firearm. Educate yourself. Take some classes, learn gun safety. No one is saying strap yourself with a P229 and know nothing about how it works, how it can malfunction and then not know how to fix it. It's our civil duty to learn about what to do in a time of crisis, how to breath   through the stress and keep moving.

I have been fortunate enough for my family to provide me with the proper training and I am beyond thankful for the knowledge. It will last me the rest of my life. I now know I am able to care for and protect my family should the need arise. Shouldn't everyone feel safe, even if there is potential for danger? Shouldn't everyone have the right to protect themselves?

I dont know about you but you can wait 6 minutes for police to show up & see if you're still breathing by the end of it all. I will stick to my 1.29 seconds and save myself and save others and end everything right then and there. Go ahead. Just wait.

Occupational Hazard

Working at an urgent care has its perks. Like free medical care whenever I need anything. I mean that's pretty freakin' sweet. The downside is how much I actually utilize it.

Last night I ended up leaving work and going home sick. Which I don't think I have ever done in the three years I have been there. Besides calling in when I blew my back out & when my sister in law passed away. I am a pretty loyal employee.

Any who, I woke up yesterday with a horrible neck, body and headache and just assumed it was from working my retail job & being on my feet all day. I work maybe one shift every 1-2 weeks because of my availability. My body has not gotten used to standing and running around for 6 hours. As soon as I got to work I took a shot of ibuprofen and it took the edge off but didn't help my overall discomfort.   Around 5 once the medicine started to wear off I felt like absolute shit. So, I went and took another shot. After an hour or so I was still sweating & sore and just miserable so I went and took my temp. Shocker, I was running a low grade temp. Which means if I wasn't on ibuprofen it would be higher. No wonder I wasn't feeling so great. I went back to talk with the doc that was on & she told me I caught that flu that has been plaguing our office. Even people who got this seasons flu shot are coming up positive for influenza.

I texted some co workers & luckily one said they would come in & close up the urgent care for me. Thank God. I went & picked up my fur baby and headed straight home, changed into my pj's and laid on the couch. Of course, come bed time, I am wide awake & feeling even worse. I managed to fall asleep for a wee bit & then woke up a few hours later with nausea and some other stomach issues. Wonderful. Like I always do when I am sick, I grabbed my pillow, DT (dirty t-shirt- my dads old t-shirt that I have been sleeping with for YEARS), and a bowl and went and laid on the couch. I always feel bad getting up out of bed 5,000 times because I don't want to disturb Joey. So most of the time I just go sleep on the couch when I am sick. I spent about 40 minutes hovering the porcelain God with no action, just severe nausea. I retreated to the couch with my bowl praying over and over I wouldn't get sick. It worked. I didn't. I just spent my night on the couch and woke up this morning with more stomach issues and a headache.

Today, I guess I will just lay around and try and come up with more creative blog ideas besides writing about how lame patients spread the influenza.

My side of the proposal...

I had no clue he was going to ask me to marry him that day.

January 21, 2012 I woke up super super early because I had plans to go downtown to watch a local cheer competition. My best friend J.R. is a JV cheer coach for our old high school and seeing how I work a lot, this is the one competition I promise to be at year after year.
It's also because every year I look forward to eating dip & dots.

Looking back on it now, I understand why the entire time I was getting ready he kept asking me, "Are you sure you don't want to do something with your hair." I just kept saying, "These girls are lucky I am even putting make up on & not scaring them half to death when I get there. My hair is fine." I just pulled it back into some nasty bun.

Our plan was to drop me off @ the local competition and he was "going into work to get some stuff done @ the office." He dropped me off. I watched my best friends team cheer. I think they placed 2nd that year, which I was happy with!

He picked me up & pulled into these apartments. I was super confused. He then blind folded me. Once I get to this part of the story- the blind folding, everyone always asks, "How did you not know?" And honestly, I still had no freakin' clue.

Earlier in the week I had been bitching about my sore back and how badly I wanted a spa day. So I thought I was going to my favorite posh spa for a day of pampering. I just remember saying, "Please get there asap so I can shower & shave my damn legs before my massage." And, "I am so nervous I am going to shit my pants." Anyone who knows me well, knows how nervous I get with surprises. And when I get nervous, I poop. Shocking, I know.

After driving what felt like way too long for the spa, we arrived at our destination. He helped me out of the car and walked me into wherever we were. The door let out this horrible horror squeak. The kind you hear in horror movies right before the curious white braud gets her head chopped off. So true to horror movie form, I let out a blood curdling scream. Bravo, Meghan, Bravo. Of course he laughs. And then I start crying. For some reason I had it in my head that something bad might happen. I kept repeating how scared I was and that I could hear noise off in the distance. He of course assures me that he is not going to murder me. Ok, not murder me, but that nothing bad was happening.


He finally stops moving, picks me up (& in the most uncomfortable way too I might add) and moves me to my final destination.

See the anguish in my face.

This is what he was lifting me up to put me inside of... cute right? 

& this is where the real story begins. Oh yeah, I should mention that he hired a photographer to catch the entire thing! So yay for pictures of our special moment. DAWWWW.

See my shocked reaction to there being a photographer.

We met at a line dancing bar, that had been shut down a few month prior & I was really upset because I knew when the time was right, that would be the perfect place for us to get engaged. It's where we met. It's where my entire life changed.

Little did I know that Joe had already been working his magic and got in contact with the new bar owners and asked them to help him out. The whole place was under construction but I wouldn't have had wanted to be asked anywhere else. This was our spot.

Ok, ok, ok. The actual part of him asking me lacks luster. Not because of him, but because of me. He takes the blindfold off and the only way I know how to verbalize this moment is I couldn't see jack shit. I was blind folded for so damn long my eyes were blurry. And I didn't have my glasses on. I couldn't see where he went. Well you fucking moron, that's because he was down on one knee.

I just remember feeling like he was down on one knee for too long & I just looked at him and said "Are you going to ask me or what?" And he just started laughing at me and asked "Will you marry me?" There was no speech like you see in every corny love film because I rushed him. I of course said yes. I think I did at least. I cant remember if I said the words or  just shook my head and cried some more.

I obviously said YES! 

& I had the best reaction to ever be caught candidly. Sexayyyy.

The greatest part about this is, immediately after my family showed up & his Dad came down from the nursing home & everyone had lunch together to celebrate our engagement. It was amazing. It was nice to have everyone in the same room celebrating the start of our lives together!

& of course I immediately called J.R. because I have no idea how she could ever keep a secret. She can NEVER keep a secret & little did I know she was practically busting at the seams to tell me how terrible my hair was and that I needed to spruce up because I was about to be asked for my hand in marriage. But she didn't. She actually kept a secret & I was proud.

So the moral of the story is, when your man tells you to do something with yourself, like put on make up, do your hair, or wear something else, do it. He is probably going to propose. Duh.

And so it all begins...

I've been debating on blogging for a while now. I've been hesitant though. Something about everyone reading about your life and what you think is a tad overwhelming and weird. Assuming people will actually read this.

But nonetheless I think I will give it a go.

My name is Meghan. I am a RIT graduate with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice. I figured a college degree would help me in my career, but thus far- it has done jack shit. I have been tackling job application after job application (even for shit jobs outside of law enforcement) to no avail. Lovely. Nothing like spending thousands on a good college education to get crapped on. My favorite. I like taking pictures of myself acting like a moron (see left).







I have a fiance named Joey. He's sweet. We met at a country bar & it's the same place he proposed! It was romantical. We're getting married April 6, 2013 at a castle just outside of our hometown. Should be pretty sweet. I am mostly excited to marry him, eat like a pig & then sweat like one on the dance floor. Should be a good time!

 

We have a dog named Charley Brown who is spoiled rotten. He is my child so that's just the way it has to be.

(The above photo I am sure looks fraudulent but I assure you, my dog is just really THAT cute).

I have an amazing & I mean amazing family! We're insane. And I wouldn't have it any other way. My parents divorced when I was 12/13. But they're civil now, which is great because no one is trying to kill anyone on Christmas. My parents are probably better than yours. They taught my siblings some serious fundamentals about getting through some rough times in life. They taught me that I will ALWAYS have family no matter how bad anything else in life gets. I love knowing I have them to count on.

My siblings are insane. Just like me. I am the oldest so I broke the mold for them, which is probably why I am so off the wall at times.

& my friends are just as important to me. And they're just as crazy as my family.

All in all I have a pretty freakin sweet life & if you want to know more, you should continue reading over the days, weeks, months & hopefully years. (I've tried to be a professional "blogger" before but sucked ass and failed). So cheers to another shot and seeing if I can pull this off.

Until next time...