Things are well!

So I was able to go home on Thursday until yesterday. It was so good to finally be able to see my mom in person after all of that news! She is back home now, doing well, supposed to be on bed rest for a couple weeks. They haven't scheduled the surgery yet but I will definitely go down again when they know.

On a lighter note, I've been reading A LOT lately. I mean a crazy amount. I haven't had cable in about a month so the only thing to occupy my time with is books! On a side note, I haven't had internet this week due to it just sucks. I've read more books in a month's time than I thought I would read this whole summer! Now my book taste varies EXTREMELY. I love good ole chick books, Christian fiction books, mystery books, horror, classic, etc. Honestly, two of my favorite books of all time are Dracula and How to Kill a Mockingbird. Quite different, right? But hey they are both classics. ANYWAYS, I just finished the original  The Phantom of the Opera the other night. Obviously, I had to follow that up with actually WATCHING the movie. Duh. I absolutely LOVE the movie and can sing every word to the songs. But you know who I JUST recognized last night? Gerard Butler! I really hope some of you just realized this too because then I will feel better about myself. But YES! Gerard Butler is the Phantom! He is really singing and everything!

WOAH, right!? I was completely impressed by this. He has been in so many different kinds of movies! "P.S. I love you", "300", "How to Train your Dragon", "Law Abiding Citizen", "The Ugly Truth", etc. Awesome.

Listen to him talk about it and then just PLEASE listen to him sing below. It's crazy once you actually realize who you are listening too!

I promise.. I am alive..

My dear readers, once again I have failed to fill you in when I become absent like this. It has been awhile hasn't it? Well, honestly it still may be a couple days. I'm just not in the blogging mood lately and this is why:

That is my mom. Okay, I'm just going to jump into this. Saturday night, she woke up at 2 in the morning not being able to breathe. Thank heavens, my step dad was there (because my brother was not and usually my step dad is away at work in Oregon) and was able to rush her to the emergency room. Apparently they said she literally had made it just in time. She has been in the hospital ever since that night. For the first few days they had her on oxygen machines and were running all sorts of tests on her giving us no answers. She started throwing up constantly and spitting up blood, very scary things. Finally, last night the doctors were able to give us some kind of answer. It turns out my mom had 2 heart attacks. Apparently one was 6 months ago, that somehow we did not catch. Then Saturday night was the second. Also, she has a defective heart valve. What this means is that her heart is pumping blood into her lungs instead of wherever it is supposed to be going. Honestly, there are a lot of different things wrong with her heart that are all so technical I don't understand them. I've been receiving all this information over the phone so it is hard to keep up. Anyways, like the heart attack news wasn't shocking enough. This morning they went into her heart to check it out more and ended up putting a stint into it. They also have decided she needs to have a double bypass surgery within a couple weeks, once she is feeling a little better. That news just came to us today. I was at work at the time.

I'm honestly still shocked and haven't quite taken everything in yet. I've been trying to not dwell too much on it. It is also really really hard when I'm not there with her and the rest of my family, seeing this things in real life. You have no idea how awful I felt this entire week not being able to be there with her. AWFUL. HORRIBLE DAUGHTER. I'm just being honest. Because we literally just came back from vacation, I could not take off work mainly because I can not pay my bills if I don't have SOME money. I wanted to say to myself "Oh forget it, you can manage Megan. Just go!". But then I know I can't get help from my parents with money because now we are going to have a huge hospital bill. I knew I had to stay. That being said, I worked almost 12 hours today to make up for the time I will miss on Friday because I AM going back then. And  I will miss work the day she has her surgery. No questions.

You know what also kind of stopped me from going? A little fear inside of my head that something bad may happen the moment I leave. Let me explain on this. Last year, both of my grandfathers died. I was away at college during those times too. When I got the call that they were in the hospital not doing well (they were both quick deaths), I immediately got in my car to try and make it (3 1/2 hours). Both times I failed. The second time I had made it back, had just walked in the house to drop off my cats, when my dad called me and told me not to come to the hospital, that he had just passed away. Both times, my families were in the hospital with them at some point, able to say goodbye. I was hours away rushing to try. Then when I got this phone call about my mom, I tried not to freak and rush there because I honestly thought, "Megan, don't. You will jinx this. It always happens.". Sad, yes, but true and honest.

This is a really deep and kinda sad post and I apologize for that. Like I said, this is why I haven't really been in the blogging mood. I promise I'm not falling off it, I will return. I would be so appreciative if yall could keep my family in your prayers, if you think of it. Anything will help.

I'm trying to be as positive as I can. Right now, I think I'm the only one half way positive though it sounds like. I know it is scary but as crazy as it seems, this is in God's plan. I do know that. And I've never in my life met a women stronger than my mom. Ever.

GUEST BLOGGER: serving of sophia

I'd like to introduce another guest blogger! This is Danielle from serving of sophia. Her blog is an artsy little blog that is full of her current art work and awesome photography! You know what the coolest thing about this guest blogger is?! She is my sorority sister!! She is such an amazing girl and I'm so excited to introduce her to yall! Make sure to check out her blog afterwards too!

the joy of cameraphone pictures

for the most part, i try and capture all pictures from my Canon. but too often i find myself snapping phone pictures when i'm out in Denton, on campus or when I'm traveling around. here are some pictures I've taken through retro camera (droid retrocamera)

1. sprinkled shake while visiting California

2. sunflower and bee spotted on campus

3. road tripping

   4. God's beauty in the middle of the day

GUEST POST: Guess How Much I Love You

Okay everyone I am SO excited to be introducing my first guest blogger EVER! The lovely Sarah from Guess How Much I Love You was the first to volunteer to post here! She is such a sweetie and I LOVE her blog! I've been following her blog for awhile and feel like we could totally be best friends. I hope yall love her as much I do and go check out her blog! Happy Saturday!

Hi Everyone, I'm Sarah, and over at my blog, Guess How Much I Love You, I generally post on my happenings in the Midwest, namely Ohio. Today, Meg asked me to post on Captivated about the differences, yet great things about the Midwest and the South, her playground. 

First, America's Heartland:

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The Midwest has tons of monuments, museums, and excellent travel sites. One of my favorites is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s a music lovers dream destination. Seeing all of the costumes and original manuscripts are my favorite parts. Some other great places to check out are the Great Lakes and Mount Rushmore.

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How about some deep dish Chicago pizza? Thought that sounded good!

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When I first think of the Midwest, I think of corn. That’s probably strange, but during the summer, it’s everywhere! I love the food in the Midwest most of all, it’s where most of our country’s food is grown, so there are tons of farmer’s markets.

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To me, this outfit screams Midwest. It’s comfortable, yet pulled together, and everyone loves boots here. A jacket is always a good idea because the weather is probably due to change throughout the day.

As we head down to Dixieland on our tour, take note of the Appalachian Trail, Smokey Mountains, and other National Parks along the way.

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Sweet tea and the American South – They go together like, well, sweet tea and the American South. All of my friends from the Carolinas and Georgia can’t get enough of it, and they’re very picky about the kind they’ll drink. They say, “It’s not sweet tea unless your teeth hurt.” They also really like grits. I’ve got to learn how to make that right.

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One of my favorite places in the South is New Orleans, LA, and I love jambalaya and Cajun food. To me, the South is full of color, flavor, and rhythm – in the food and the people. I love that sass and charm, especially the y’all (we don’t get enough of that up North).

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 I love this look and how it reminds me of the South – Sweet and spicy at the same time. I’m sure that just about every girl has a set of pearls and boots, even if she doesn’t live in the South. Up North, I find that girls don’t wear as many colors, and the Southern girls always look vibrant.

Hope you enjoyed my post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Fill in the blank Friday!

Today I'm going to join another link up! I'm joining Lauren over at The little things we do for Fill-in-the-blank-Friday! This was my first full day in Portland and it was full of stuff! I'm very exhausted so this post will be short! We went deep sea fishing today in Newport then drove back to Portland, so yea! But heres my contribution to Fill-in-the-blank-Friday! Be looking forward to my guest posters this weekend! I am!

1.   My favorite color is    green. I have way too much green in my apartment though.  .

2.  My travel destination of choice is   undecided. I haven't been everywhere yet so how can I decide!? So far though I would definately say overseas, like England or Hawaii/tropical climates.

3.  My favorite  food is    mexican food. Oh yes sir. I'm actually craving it right now and sad theres not any really good places here! I ate mexican food 3 days straight before this trip though, no lie. I knew I'd be missing it soon.

4.  My happy place is  in front of a painting or with my kittys .

5.  My favorite saying is     also undecided .

6.  My dirty little secret is  that I'm awful about shaving my legs. I'm not saying I'm bigfoot or anything, just it can be prickly   .

7.  Something friends might say about me is that I    can say really stupid things sometimes. I'm not even going to give you an example, but I can be "blonde" occasionally. Oh, and sometimes I laugh really loud. 

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

I'm joining the Vintage Apple again for Pinteresting Wednesday! I love Pinterest and it is so much fun to share with yall what I love on there! On a side note.. I leave for Oregon tomorrow! I have a few guest bloggers lined up, but I do have a question for everyone! What is the easiest way to guest blog? Should I have them send me their posts or give them my password and allow them to post? I've never had a guest blogger before so I'm not quite sure the most efficient way to get this done! Now on to my pins..

I'm going to do this for my wedding!

Teacup lamps!

LOVE!

This is very true.

DIY

So remember my post about my summer projects?? Well I have completed ONE, which is an accomplishment! It was so much fun and SO EASY! This was my inspiration picture..

I already happen to have a few old frames that I picked up at a market and hadn't done anything with yet! So I got one and cleaned it as well as I could and picked up some spray paint to match my bathroom! I did a few coats of color and let it dry overnight! 

BEFORE

After spray paint..

 

Then after it was dry I went to the store and grabbed some hooks! I hand screwed the first one in there but did the rest with my electric driver, but obviously if you don't have one its not hard to hand screw them! After that step I was DONE! Incredibly easy right!? Here is the final product! 

 

LOVE! 

I NEED GUEST BLOGGERS!

Hello my lovelies!

SO! I will be going to Portland, Oregon on Thursday afternoon to and won't return until Tuesday! I have no idea how much time I will have to blog there but I will try my best. I would LOVE if some of you guys would like to guest post on here! I've never had any before and would love to see what you guys would have to say! If you are interested at all then please just e-mail me or leave me a comment below! I'm looking for 3ish people.

Book Review: "One Day"

Last Monday I picked up a couple books from my local bookstore. I really had no idea of what I wanted when I walked in but this is one that I ended up coming out with. It is called "One Day" by David Nichols. I had NO idea that it was made into a movie as well, which actually comes out in August!  I will DEFINITELY be going to see it because I LOVED this book! I got it on Monday and finished reading it Wednesday. It is a quick read that you will not want to put down. I felt very much a part of the story and I feel like I could relate somehow. Here is a little synopsis of the storyline!

Basically, the story is about one girl, Emma, and a boy, Dexter, who go in and out of each others life constantly. They meet on July 15 the day they graduate from college and instantly are captivated by one another. The book goes year by year in each chapter on exactly July 15th of the following year. This gives you a glimpse into each of their lives and where they stand relationship wise. Emma and Dexter are complete opposites but always seem to gravitate towards one another even after not seeing each other for years. Dexter is the crazier of the two and Emma is the one who knows how to settle things down. The book goes through 20 years of their lives and ends just as quickly as it started.

Once again, I loved this book and would read it again. I'm really excited to see the movie as well! If you like love stories then you just have to read this. Let me know what you think of it if you do or if you've already read it! I'd love to see what other people think too!

Here is the movie trailer as well! 

Thankful Thursday!

That's right!! Today is thankful Thursday! Link up with my button on the right and list some things you're thankful for! It's always good to reflect on what we have in our lives that we forget about sometimes! 

Today I'm thankful for..

1. Finding a job so quickly! 

2. Starting my job TOMORROW!

3. Having such a understanding and giving family to help me out when I've been unemployed.

4. My sweet little Paisley

5. True friends who have stuck beside me no matter what

6. My mother getting home safely from her trip to Montana

7. My sunburn healing finally! 

8. The feeling of peace God has given me lately

9. Actually HAVING a working car!

10. My new followers! 

Tomorrow I plan on doing a book review on a book I just finished last night. I literally read it in 2 days! It's also been made into a movie that is released in August! Can anyone guess what it is??

Pinteresting Wednesday

Today I'm linking up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple! I just discovered Pinterest a couple weeks ago and have been obsessed ever since! Before I get started I want to throw some exciting news at everyone..

I HAVE A JOB!! 

Thank you all for the prayers because they worked! My interview this morning went great and he offered me the job immediately! I start Friday morning! I will be working at a vet clinic with the boarding animals. It is exactly the type of job I wanted for right now! I'm so excited and feel so blessed to no longer be worrying about finding a job. 

Okay but now to pinning! Here are a few from MY pinterest! 

All Images Via Pinterest

I am officially a poor college kid.

I'm back in blog world! Forgive me for the lack of post's lately!

This will be a very random post, surprise surprise. I have so much on my mind and so much going on! Today was a nice and productive day! I did job searching and even had a little mini-interview! I also helped a friend paint her RED wall white again! But I have exciting news! I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TOMORROW MORNING! I know yall can't be very excited, but I am thrilled! It is at a vet clinic so it is just what I have been looking for! So I'd love it if yall threw a few prayers my way! I need a job so badly. Really. I am officially at "poor college kid" status. My cable was shut off today due to my lack of payment. Depressing right? But I hopefully will figure that out soon. I'm considering getting rid of my cable and just doing netflix? Does any of yall do that? I've heard good things about it and its only 8 bucks a month. 8 is AMAZING compared to 80. 

But anyways, hopefully I will have a job soon! I've done a few paintings lately and have put them on my etsy shop hoping I sell SOMETHING! I'd love it if yall took a look around my shop! It's small but its worth a look! Here it is!!

On another note, this past weekend was my last weekend at home for awhile. It was really good to be able to spend so much time with my friends and family! On Saturday we went to a place we had heard of called the cliffs. It was a huge pond thing that had big cliffs (highest was 50 ft) that you could jump off of! For east Texans, this is pretty amazing. It was a lot of fun and yes I did make the jump! It hurt but was really exhilarating! 

Here is the big cliff!

This was the smaller of the two ponds

Looks fun right? Oh it was! I also got to have a potluck dinner with all of MELK! That was so much fun and we all had the boyfriends/husband. It has probably been almost a year since all of MELK was together at the same time so we all really enjoyed it. They are amazing and it is always like we never got separated when we are together again! I hope yall have some friends like that, because it truely is a huge blessing. I also got to see K's little baby Remington again! He is an adorable little boy.

MELK in order!

Little Remi!

MELK is in love!