#18: Go to Vegas

As mentioned in my last blog post, I was in Vegas for my cousin's wedding in October. The trip was a quick one, but Sin City did not disappoint.

Thirty-six hours in Vegas gave me plenty of time to spend, lose and win money. No whammies!

Two nights at New York New York.

Food, food, more food and free drinks for all.

LOVED the Bellagio fountains!

The wedding bells rang and Elvis was in the building at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel.

By far the most unlikely thing I did in Vegas was ride the roller coaster at our hotel. My dad and I made a pact that if OU won the game against Texas that we would ride the coaster. Win we did, and sure enough, we kept our pact. I was terrified. Roller coasters are not my thing, but I couldn't back out. When in Vegas.... Here's a video clip of someone riding the New York New York roller coaster. If you listen closely you can still hear me screaming: "Oh Jesus, please let it be over!"

#28: Go to a casino and bet something

Last weekend I placed my first bet! I was in Vegas for my cousin's wedding, which happened to be the same weekend as the OU/Texas football game...only Oklahoma State fans plan their wedding over OU/Texas weekend. :-) Fortunately, my mom and dad were traveling with me, so together we found other OU (and some Texas) fans to watch the game with.

The night before the game, I won $50 off of $5 at a Wizard of Oz penny slot machine. VIVA! I took the $45 profit and used that money to place my first bet at Caesar's Palace on the OU/Texas game. I bet the over in the total points of the game (56.5). Thanks to all of the OU touchdowns, the points rapidly rose to a final score of 55-17. And hey, I'm willing to be a truly thankful OU fan; thanks Texas for the 2 points that put the score over 56.5! Winner of my 30 for 30 bet. Boomer Sooner.

#7: Go to Ben and Jerry's Factory

I scream, You scream, We all scream for ICE CREAM!

In July I had the opportunity to go to Stowe, VT with my good friend Jen Whitlock. Of course, one of the reasons we went was for a 30 for 30 item that desperately needed action: Visit the Ben & Jerry's HQ. That famous ice cream in the sky is an irresistible temptress.


For $3 visitors can purchase tickets to tour the one and only Ben & Jerry's factory, which incidentally makes a quarter of a million pints of ice cream a day! Photography is not allowed of course; B&J don't want any potential ice cream entrepreneurs or spies stealing their famous recipes.

By the end of the tour, we were all screaming for ice cream. Thank goodness, the tour ended with a sample of a flavor that is yet-to-be released. Jen and I got to try "Late Night Snack": vanilla ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and chocolate covered potato chips. It was delicious. Look for it in stores soon, folks, you've got to try it for yourself.

#29: Truth-tell at STH (and big news!)

After a great deal of discernment, prayer, and conversation with those I trust, I have accepted the Associate Registrar’s position at Oklahoma City Community College. This is not a decision that I have come to lightly. Boston has become a part of who I am. This awesome community and city has become an integral part of my identity, and I will greatly miss the folks who have become a part of my "Boston family". That said, I have chosen this path in part to be closer to my family in Oklahoma. I also have faith that my passion and gifts in higher education administration will take on new directions at OCCC, where I will work with a new team of folks to provide affordable and accessible education opportunities to all.

In light of this big, upcoming transition, I have begun to adopted a new attitude at work. Rather than taking things personally, I have started to let things roll of my back, as the saying goes. I still care about my job, and I certainly want to leave the office better than I inherited it, yet at the same time I'm learning how to put myself first. My weekends are more enjoyable when I'm not hooked to my iPhone/email like a hospital patient with an IV drip. In leaving my position as Registrar at STH, I have actually begun to find more of the balance that I crave between work and personal life. I am also dedicated to bringing this new mentality to my new position at OCCC.

Because of my upcoming departure, I have also had the chutzpah to say some of the things that I have been thinking and feeling. I have attempted to have my "truth-tell" in a kind manner; I have also been surprised by how well my brutal, yet respectful, honesty has been received. Because this is the internet, I'm not going to name names, but suffice it to say Megan's "truth-tell" at STH has been completed.

#19: New Doorknobs

On July 7, 2011 I celebrated the fourth anniversary of closing on my condo and becoming a homeowner...and for four years I have put off installing new doorknobs. It strikes me as odd the things that we put off doing that in reality are so easy to fix. Now that I'm 30, I'm saying "good-bye" to getting locked in the bathroom, and I'm taking the time to make a few simple home repairs!


Step 1: Make time to walk 10 minutes to the local hardware store.

Step 2: Celebrate the purchase of 3 new sets of doorknobs over a pitcher of beer with your boyfriend.

Step 3: Out with the old, tired, sad and stripped doorknobs...

Step 4: ...and in with the new! And no more getting locked in the bathroom. ;-)

#4: Week of Private Retreat

One of the two owls that I saw on my last day.

In June, I spent four and a half days at the Eastern Mountain Retreat Center in the Berkshire Mountains on a personal retreat. The week leading up to my retreat, I found myself excited for the rest and relaxation that was to come. However, I quickly discovered on my first day at the retreat center that retreating is not easy!

The silence was foreign to me. Finding my way out of the technological noise that I encounter every day was surprisingly difficult. “Detoxing” from the chaos of everyday life was not immediate: no computers, no smart phones, no email, no iPods, no television, no bustling trains full of loud strangers, no street lights that emit a soft glow into my bedroom... I was in the middle of the woods with my books, a journal, and my camera and I didn’t know how to be still and relax.

I am a planner. On my retreat, I quickly began to realize that being still and quiet is extremely difficult for me; I was in a space (figuratively and literally) in which creating goals and an agenda for my day was not the objective. Typically, I establish daily goals, and I set out to achieve those goals so that I can feel a sense of accomplishment. A personal retreat is not about goals, or setting agendas, or accomplishing tasks to gauge one’s success by.

Transitioning into a space (mentally, physically and emotionally) that was the exact opposite of how I live my daily life was extremely difficulty and challenging. At the same time, it was also fulfilling, meaningful, and necessary. Anytime I found myself mentally scheduling my day, I would go and do something different from what I was planning. When I went into autopilot and was creating goals for myself, I would remind myself that the only goal for my time of retreat was to renew my relationship with creation and myself.

After a day and a half into my retreat, I realized that I was spending my time doing things that made my genuinely happy. My days were filled with reading (lots of Harry Potter), walking in the woods, photography, lying on rocks in the sun, drawing, and yoga/stretching. These activities allowed me to center on an internal happiness, and from that pure place I was able to ease into the silence and stillness.

My retreat was a very personal experience. I have come to recognize that there is no right way or wrong way to go about it. What is critical, at least of myself, is taking the time to be away from the noise of my life so that I can reconnect and be reminded of who I am and who I am called to be in the world.

Sitting in the wildflowers overlooking the valley.

Deer in the woods.

Bumblebee pollinating a flower.

#6: Eat at Sonsie

September 2011 will mark eight full years of living in Boston. One thing that I have learned about this city is that no matter how long you live here, you will never be able to do everything there is to do in this town!

One thing that I have wanted to do since the first fall (2003) that I moved to Boston was to eat at Sonsie on Newbury Street. In the spring, summer and fall months, Sonsie always has its front windows open, and guest are sitting at small tables watching the pedestrians walk by laden with their haul from boutiques that I can’t afford! Something about it has always felt very Parisian to me.

Two weeks ago my good friend from high school, Toni, came to Boston for a visit. We had agreed to meet up for drinks when I got off work; she would be coming straight from the airport. I left work right at 5pm (very unusual for me to leave at closing time, but it was a sure sign that I was excited for the night!). I decided to go down to Newbury Street early, get a pedicure, and then meet Toni at Sonsie.

I emerged from into the daylight at the Hynes Convention T stop eager to access Yelp on my phone so that I could look up a reputable salon, when two colleagues hollered at me from across the street. They were sitting front and center having drinks at Sonsie! The timing was serendipitous. I skipped the pedicure, joined Shelly and Anjulet for drinks, and as they were leaving, Toni arrived and she and I picked up the night of dining where Shelly, Anjulet and I left off.

The food was delicious, the spring weather was perfect, and the company was outstanding!

I highly recommend trying the following the next time you are at Sonsie:

• The oh-so-yummy cucumber-vodka cocktail
• Calamari - flash fried, zucchini strings, lemon aioli, fried parsley
• Brick Oven Pizza - goat cheese, sweet roasted pepper, calamata olives, flat parsley

#14: Boston Organics

After three years of trying to garden in the city (whaa waa), I decided to try something new this year as a means of getting fresh fruits and veggies during the summer. Several friends (Yana & Talya Davis and Jenn Wilson) had been telling me about Boston Organics. Boston Organics is a company that delivers fresh fruits and veggies to your house either once a week, or every other week. They offer a wide variety of boxes to choose from depending on whether or not you like more veggies, more fruits, or an equal combination. Boston Organics allows users to specify if they have any food allergies, so for those of you who have mold allergies out there, you can tell Boston Organics to never ever send you any mushrooms! On May 18th, I received my first Boston Organics box. I started off with the half-veggie/half-fruit small box every other week. I quickly realized that I love having fresh produced delivered to my house, so I’ve switched my delivery to once week. My most recent box was the Dogma box, which means that Boston Organics strives to send me produce that is grown locally or close to home. It’s been so much fun planning my meals around what I receive each week. Here are a few recipes that I’ve tried out since receiving Boston Organics. All of them have been delicious, but I highly recommend the braised baby bok choy recipe. Yummy!

Braised Baby Boy Choy

Salad dressing (courtesy of Giada):
1/2 apple, such as Granny Smith or honey crisp, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, combine the apple, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

30 for 30: The List

Six months ago I began to sense that I was on the precipice of some major life changes. I could see that April 25 to May 22 of 2011 was going to bring forth major transition in my life: my 30th birthday and the start of a new decade; my younger brother’s wedding; my graduation from the EdM degree. Coincidentally—or serendipitously—in November 2010 when I began to feel the season of change that was coming, I also had a visitation from my grandfather who had died in May 2010. In that dream, I discerned that my Grangran’s message for me was that I cannot fully love others until I fully love and accept myself.

With this new mantra, I decided to create a list of 30 things that I want to do in my 30th year to celebrate my life and the relationships that I have with others. The goal of this 30 for 30 list is to engage in activities that help me actively pay attention and to learn how to begin to make changes in my daily life that allow me to strike a balance between head and heart, work and play, leadership and spirituality. To be the best "Megan" I can be, I must take care of myself so that I have something left to share with others in a meaningful way.

This blog has a life span of one-year; it is intended to document the 30 activities on my list. I'm hopeful that sharing my journey with others might inspire you to find little ways to be more kind to yourself, so that we can all love others more fully.

Megan’s 30 for 30 List
1. Take a ballet class.
2. Research my genealogy.
3. Make cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake!
4. Week of private retreat.
5. Anna’s Challenge: 4 decadent days off work – for no other reason.
6. Eat at Sonsie.
7. Go to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont.
8. Go to Villa Von Trapp.
9. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast.
10. Halloween in drag (Anna’s costume).
11. Do Codzilla.
12. Go whale watching.
13. Art class.
14. Boston Organics.
15. Two words – Cowgirl boots! (and maybe a tutu…)
16. Find a Pilates/yoga class and attend 5 times.
17. Spiritual director.
18. Go to Vegas.
19. New doorknobs in my condo.
20. See fireworks twice.
21. Schedule Boomer a playdate with another cat.
22. Cooking class at Williams-Sonoma.
23. Travel for a professional development event.
24. Visit the White House.
25. Hatch Shell – Free Friday Night Flicks or Drive-In or Dinner and a Movie.
26. To not give up on growing tomatoes.
27. Go to Provincetown.
28. Go to a casino and bet something.
29. Truth-tell at work.
30. Celebrate 31 with excitement!