Day 12: A picture of a landmark that you would love to visit.

I've visited D.C. before, with my parents, when I was probably about 11 years old.  My mom wanted to visit some of the Smithsonian's, so that's what we did.  And instead of actually enjoying the museums (which has never really been my thing), I took pictures of squirrels and named them.  Yep, pre-middle-school me was odd.

Unfortunately, I never got to visit, what I consider, the coolest parts of D.C.  Granted, as an 11 year old I probably wouldn't have fully appreciated them anyway.

So someday I will visit again and see what I want to see.  Me, a nerdy Poli-Sci major.  **pushes glasses farther up bridge of nose** 

Just in case the buildings aren't self-explanatory:

White House

P.S. Did I mention that my most recent "claim to fame" is that I shook Obama's hand when he visited Eugene during the primaries.  I love getting to brag about that!

U.S. Congress

Supreme Court

Remember the signs, believe the signs

"But long before she had got anywhere near the edge, the voice behind her said, "Stand still.  In a moment I will blow.  But, first, remember, remember, remember the signs.  Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night.  And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs.  And secondly, I give you a warning.  Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly:  I will not often do so down in Narnia.  Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken.  Take great care that it does not confuse your mind.  And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there.  That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearance.  Remember the signs and believe the signs.  Nothing else matters.  And now, daughter of Eve, farewell--"

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

Day 11: Something you miss.

This is almost too easy to answer.

I miss my Megan.

She's off gallivanting around New York having a swell time and I'm stuck here to navigate the waters of home repair/decorating without her.  A tragedy.

Megan and I throwback from a 2003 youth group mission trip to Mexico.  I knew no one, but lucky for me I sat right next to Megan and Sarah.  The rest, they say, is history.

BAM.  Photographic proof of our high-school awesome-ness.

The adventures only began in Mexico.  SO many amazing memories since then.

I miss Megan all the time now that she's gone.  Thankfully she puts up with my random late-night texts and absurd tweets.  She's awesome like that.

AND, she gives me a perfect excuse to take a legitimate vacation to New York.

She's doing her thing, and I'm doing mine.  Sadly, I wish those both existed in the same city.  Hopefully in the future.

From our beach trip January 2010.  A random sunny day at the coast during the winter.  WIN.

 

Love you Megan!

Day 10: A picture of your favorite place to eat.

With three minutes to spare... (today was a busy day!)

La Hacienda Real

and La Perla

Yep, I love Mexican food.

Day 9: Something you don’t leave the house without.

I don't voluntarily leave the house without my cell phone.  My absolutely fabulous iPhone 4.  I lived with one of those pitiful flip phones for ages, and then finally upgraded.  Best. Decision. Ever.  I love this phone.  Is that weird?

I can access my mail, internet, and day planner wherever I'm at on my iPhone.  Good or bad, the world is at my fingertips all the time, and when the "world isn't within reach" my world starts to tip on its axis.  It's almost like leaving an arm or a leg at home.  How else do I share thoughts that come randomly, or thoughts on something I've seen?  How do I check the ingredients to a recipe I didn't (have the time to) write down?  How do I know when my mortgage bill is due?  Thankfully I can count on one hand how many times that has happened.  But when it does, yikes, I actually feel sort of naked.

I lived without a cell phone when I studied abroad in Mexico, and somehow I survived.  Perhaps life with cell phones (i.e. mini computers) necessitates the constant need.  Without them life would be simpler.  But also much less optimized.

And since I take a lot of pictures with my phone, this isn't actually my phone.  I didn't have the time to pull out my camera to take a picture of my phone.... busy busy life.

Day 8: A place you've traveled to.

I don’t generally have the “bug” to travel, which is semi-surprising since I’ve literally been to over 30 states and 5 countries in my short existence.  The bug seems to be creeping in however.  New York and Las Vegas are in my near future, I can feel it.

Here’s a smattering of specific places I’ve been to outside of the United States.

Mexico City, Mexico:  Central Mexico, generally referred to as D.F. (“day, effay”) or Distrito Federal.  It is the capital city of Mexico and coincidentally the largest city in the Americas, and third largest in the world (after Seoul and Tokyo).  The estimated population in 2009 was 8.84 million people (in 573 sq miles).  It’s huge, obviously.  Not a lot of land space, so most of the buildings go up.  We visited Mexico City while I was studying abroad in Queretaro, about 130 miles north(west) of Mexico City.  It literally took 3-4 hours just to drive across town.  This is a picture of a friend of mine from atop our hostel.  We were right on the edge of the Zócalo (main square in the heart of Mexico City).  You can see some of the great old buildings and cathedrals in the background.

Teotihuacán: Mexican pyramids.  They were definitely cool to see, especially since some of them let you climb to the top (we're on our way down in this picture).  You can see one of the smaller pyramids in the background.

Dachau Concentration Camp (Germany):  A sobering place.  Part of a touring trip taken during my Senior year of high school with other kids from my school.  We wandered around the campus, taking it all in.  I don’t remember anyone really saying much.  The concept of concentration camps can be so abstract until you’re actually standing in one of the gas chambers.  The metal gate upon entering has the phrase "Arbeit macht frei" on it, which translates in German to "work will make you free".  Sadly, not true for this place.  They believe over 25,000 Jews and other non-desirables died here.

Neuschwanstein Castle:  This castle in Germany is actually what Sleeping Beauty’s castle was designed after.  It appears to float in the sky, especially when low cloud roll in.  We were in Germany (during the high school touring trip) in late November/early December and we definitely saw some snow.  Do you see the small curved walkway to the right of the castle entrance?  The walk up to the castle took about an hour.  The path winds up and around the mountain all the way to the castle doors.  A nice fun walk in the snow.  I think we spent approximately 10 minutes inside and then trekked back down the mountain.  Absolutely breathtaking views, despite the cloud cover.

Paris, France:  Also part of the high school touring trip, we stopped in France sort of en-route to Germany.  We visited the famous Eifel Tower and Louvre Museum, obviously.  Lots of cobblestone walk ways and small little quaint stores.  Although I could have done without half of our group getting lost on the Champs-Élysées the first night.

Day 7: Post your favorite photo. Ever.

If you've met me, you know how I dislike making decisions.  And picking one photo seemed so limiting, so I decided to break the rules yet again.  Surprise, surprise.  Although I'll admit that the last one is one of my all-time favorites.  All but one are photos I've taken--for some reason I love pictures I've taken more than most others.

And I should note, you're actually lucky.  Lucky?  Yeah, when I got my new laptop I transferred all my pictures over, but the organization didn't exactly work like I wanted.  Now all of my pictures are in one giant folder in a completely haphazard manner.  **sigh** no time for that battle today.  It's certain that I've overlooked favorites of mine in the hour-long process of scrolling through my entire visual library.  So, consider yourself lucky, this post could have been twice as long.

 

I took this picture on Alki Beach, looking into downtown Seattle.

 I didn't take this picture (below), my mom did.  She sent it to me when I was studying abroad in Mexico.  A pleasant reminder of home.  I don't think she had any idea how much it meant to me.  PLUS, seeing that chunky dog in that tiny sweater makes my day--pretty much every time I look at it.  See the tuft of skin/fur/fat sticking up behind his head?  He doesn't fit in the sweater anymore, I'm not sure he ever really did.

 This is my favorite.  If you force me to choose.  I love this dog.  He's perpetually brimming with personality and spunk.  To me, this face says "Seriously?? What do you think you're doing?"  It has "indignant" written all over it.  Love love love it.

Day 6: Favorite quote.

I’m a sucker for quotes.  Quotes tend to speak to me in poignant ways (guess it was inevitable that I would join Twitter, I love concise thoughts.)  They roll around in my head until they become deeper though.  A provoking idea.  A new way to explain something.  I claim credit for none of these, although I hope that some of my thoughts, someday, will impact someone else as these quotes impact me.

So here are some of my favorites, collected over the last couple of years.

"You know your life has enough salt when people are thirsty for Jesus."  John Stumbo

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.”

“When God takes something from your grasp He's not punishing you, He’s merely opening your hands to receive something better. “

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”

“Worship is losing my glory in His.”

"My worship, service, and devotion does not make Him God.  He IS God.  My worship, service and devotion makes me obedient... makes me His." 

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man must seek the Lord to find it." –From the book Captivating

Certain scriptures have the same effect on me, and since I’m including pictures in all my posts, here’s my favorite scripture.  I wrote it on an index card over four years ago, today it’s taped to my computer at work.  A daily reminder.

Day 5: Something you’re afraid of.

Because I'm unable to list just one... 

1. Spiders:  I feel like this is a pretty generic fear, but whatever.  I made my dad and brother kill spiders (okay, still do) when they were around, but then in high school I found myself babysitting children who were also terrified of spiders and I got over my fear because I had to.  This does not mean that I don't fear the giant ones though.  **shudder**  Looking at these pictures seriously creeps me out.  Small ones I can kill.  Spiders-on-steroids, not so much. Thank goodness there are few in my house, and all of the small variety.

2. Getting hit by a train:  This is probably, by far, my most irrational fear.  At least I realize it, right?  Never a fear in the world about trains until Driver Ed class when I was 16 years old.  Red Asphalt XXV (or some other equally large number) forever changed my view of trains.  People who walk under the RR crossing arm because they don't want to wait make me really anxious.  I was convinced, one night in Seattle, that one of those crazies was going to actually get hit and justify my fear.  Thankfully that didn't happen... although it didn't phase my fear either.  Um, yeah.  No thank you.

How to reupholster a wingback chair

Disclaimer: I'd never reupholstered anything before this chair, but I had the gumption to take on the project anyway.  There is not a lot of extraordinary skill involved, just patience and determination.  Nothing difficult, just a little time consuming.  But, the recognition at the end (when people comment that the job looks professional) is worth the effort.  Go for it!

Here's what you need to get started:
*Wingback chair
*Fabric to recover with (Fantastic chart for how much fabric you'll need HERE from All Things Thrifty)
*A screwdriver with the thinnest edge you can find (you will be using this to pry out the millions of staples)
*Gloves (I went rebel and didn't wear any, but my hands almost revolted on me)
*A sheet or blanket to lay on the ground (you'd be surprised at the amount of dirt & stuffing dust, seriously)
*A sewing machine (although you'll probably only need this for sewing piping and the cushion)
*Stapler (electric preferably, and also one that actually works--trust me, it's worth it)
*A hammer
*A container to hold removed staples

Upholstered chairs are built like an onion.  One piece at a time.  I was surprised when I heard there was very little sewing involved.  It's true, except for the cushion and the piping.

**After each piece is taken off, label it with its location and number.  The pieces go on in the same order they came off, and while this step seems lame, it's actually really important to keep them organized**

Here's what I started with:

Lay down the sheet, and turn the chair so the legs are in the air.  Start by removing the staples from the black piece on the bottom of the chair (usually a black-mesh material).  Remove every staple you see.

This is the most tedious and heartbreaking part of the process.  Don't get discouraged.  It doesn't look like you've done much, but the staples on the bottom and back took me the longest.

Remove cardboard and piping (if you have it).  Then put the chair back upright.  The next piece is the back.

The best way I can explain it is to use your screwdriver between the edge of the fabrics (on the sides) and pry the tack board from the chair.  The tack board looks like a long strip of metal with teeth on it.

I stole this picture from The Creative Maven who has a great tutorial (that I referred to) on recovering a wingback chair HERE

The top and top edge will probably have what others have lovingly referred to as "sharp metal teeth" (**I just learned that it's called Ply Grip).  The fabric is folded into them.  Pull it out and pry the metal teeth down.  Just be careful not to injure yourself.  The teeth are sharp.  Sharp metal teeth close-up.

Continue working on the layers you can see.  Take out all the staples you see along the way.

Now you're going to work on removing the sides.  Those sharp metal teeth will also be on the top part of the sides.  You're likely to find cardboard strips in the other places (down the side and under the armrest).  Try to keep these pieces together once you remove them.

You'll find stuffing, most likely also stapled to the frame.  That will be a headache, but remove it anyway.  Label which side it goes to.

Note:  The sharp teeth strips will need to be removed to get to the under layers of the fabric (and piping).  Keep in mind the order they are layered on.  And when you remove the sharp teeth, try to keep in mind that you can reuse them, so try to keep them intact.  Label and put aside.

Then you can take off the decorative thing from the arm rests.  Mine were literally nailed in.  Use your screwdriver to pry them off.  Or a hammer, if that's easier.

Do the same to the other side.  Then remove the armrest fabric pieces (mine were attached/sewn to the inside sides.)

If you haven't already, remove the backrest and also the piece under the cushion over the seat.

Naked chair.  Take a breath, look at your handiwork.  Then get back to work.  It's not going to recover itself.

Lay out your fabric pieces (see my labels?) and cut out your new pieces.  Keep the old with the new for the time being (that way if you have any questions you can refer to it for placement.)  If any of the pieces are sewn, use a seam ripper to take them apart to cut new fabric and just re-sew them like the original.

Pull out the cord from the old piping and sew new piping the same length.  Best tutorial for sewing piping.

If any of the pieces are sewn, do this now.  

Start with the last piece you took off.  Presumably the piece under the cushion.  Staple one side and then pull the other sides tight.  Tight enough to keep the fabric taut, but not so tight the fabric will rip.

Then the armrest/inside side pieces (which were sewn together on mine).  Then the backrest.

Then the piping on the outside sides.

Now comes the tricky stuff.  All I can really say here is if you watched how it was assembled as you were taking pieces off, then you'll be fine.  The sides were a little tricky for me, especially around the armrest curve.  Use the cardboard pieces for an even edge.  Lay the fabric (upside down over the armrest) and place the cardboard on the underside up next to the piping (see below).  The cardboard ends where those awesome metal teeth begin.

Add back on the decorative armrest things.  I hated this step.  I couldn't get nails to go in straight.  Do the best you can to attach them.

Then attach the back piece.  Start with the fabric at the top held in with the metal teeth.  Then work about the tack board sides.  This piece was the hardest for me.  It takes a bit of time to get everything tight, but you're in the home stretch!  Then flip the chair over and put on the bottom trim and that lovely black mesh piece and you're done!

Ta da!

And I'm not going to go into great detail on the ottoman, because once you reupholster the chair, the ottoman is a piece of cake.  Although mine involved more sewing.  Just start from the bottom and work your way until the piece is again naked.  Then recreate it.

Day 4: Favorite outdoor photo.

Not a lot of words necessary for these.  Some of my favorites.  All I've taken myself.

 And one of my all-time favorites.  Can you believe I actually got this awesome picture from my regular point-and-shoot camera taken through a pair of sunglasses?  I know, surprised me too. 

Day 3: Something you’re looking forward to.

I like to have all kinds of things to look forward to.  That way there is always something on the wings for when I really just need a pick-me-up.  Generally there are three areas: immediate (next couple of days), short-term (next one to three months), and long-term (next year).  Here are some current ones. 

Immediate:  This is going to be a great week.  Axis on Tuesday, a photography class (to learn how to manually operate my camera) that I signed up for weeks ago, a coffee date to catch up with a good friend, and a fun craft night with another good friend.  In general, I'm just really looking forward to this week. 

Short-term:  I've got two great ones here.
Mexico: I'll be traveling with high schoolers to build houses in Mexico over Spring Break.  It's going to be a blast (from the past--see a great picture of me, circa 2003 on my last mission trip to Mexico.  Hello gringa, nice hair...)

While I would have never voluntarily put myself with groups of high-schoolers initially, I LOVE where I'm at right now.  I can't imagine working with better kids, better co-leaders, or better staff.  I'm overwhelmed with blessing and excited for this amazing opportunity to serve.

New York:  In April (hopefully) I'll fly to New York and visit one of my best friends, Megan.  She moved there around December, ready to go on a journey, and is having a great time.  I miss her so much, but now I have an actual reason to take a vacation, and a fantastic excuse to visit New York again.

Long-term: I know it's a little preemptive, but I'm already looking forward to my next race.  I'm not sure that it needs to be another marathon though.  Just something long enough to require training, patience, determination, and a dash of crazy.  There's something about the energy of running coupled with discipline that helps center me.  Right now, with some of my trips coming up, I'm unable to dedicate the proper time to train, but in a couple months I'm going to jump right back in.

P.S. On the topic of looking forward to things, I was really looking forward to today and it didn't disappoint.  I spent the day with my family: Bradley Alan (brother), his wife, and my parents.  They came over and indulged my propensity towards large-DIY projects.  I have this grand vision for a DIY chandelier light fixture and thank goodness I'm related to two engineers and very practically-minded parents.  I like to think of myself as smart enough to round up smart people to help me.  Can't get much smarter than that.  Plus, I love my family.  Perfect Saturday.

Yep, that's my awesome brother installing my light fixture this morning.

Day 2: A photo of your favorite food.

Of course now I'm starving.  Figures.

I'm not generally a rule breaker, but I'm feeling frisky today.  So instead of just one photo of fabulous-ness, I'm going to post four.  I know, I know, so out of character for me.

1. Pasta goodness:  A creation of my mothers that looked simple enough for me to attempt myself.  It then became my go-to meal.  Garlic + onions + ground turkey + mushrooms (optional) + Prego sauce + penne pasta = an amazing meal.  And one of the best parts of this meal is that it usually feeds at least five people, so if I make it for myself I have built-in lunches all week.  Lunches that are looked forward to all week to boot.  In the words of Alton Brown, now that's Good Eats.

 2. Homemade Mac & Cheese:  I think this one should be a given.  C'mon, look at that!  If you're not craving that cheesy goodness, then I'm mildly concerned for your sanity.  The tricky part with this feel-good food is adapting it for my "lactardedness".  I'm semi lactose intolerant.  Fortunately Kraft makes cheese without lactose (Just go with it, asking questions is risky), and they make lactose-free milk now too.  Modern science blows my mind sometimes.

 

3. Chicken Enchiladas:  Specifically from La Hacienda Real, although La Perla is a close second.  Doesn't that look amazing?  For me, Mexican food (in general) trumps all other genres.  I had a lot of time to eat the authentic stuff while I studied abroad in Mexico for three months too.  I know what I'm talking about.  Also, I loved Chilaquiles so much after eating them at my host family's house every Sunday morning, that I figured out how to recreate them back in the states.  Tomatillos, onions, chips, shredded chicken, cheese, and a fried egg on top.  It sounds disgusting, but in truth it's amazing.  Spicy, filling, and actually really easy to make.  Chilaquiles is also touted as a great hangover food-- I don't actually know if that's true, but it's delicious regardless (and the picture doesn't do it justice!)

Enchiladas

Chilaquiles

4. Papa John's Hawaiian Pizza:  No list of my favorite foods would truly be complete without the one food I'm certain I could eat for a lifetime without getting sick of.  Any kind of pizza is okay with me, but Papa John's is still my all-time favorite.  We had one in Keizer when I was growing up and my parent's frequently let me pick the pizza joint in exchange for calling in the order (yeah, I hated doing that, so I expertly convinced my brother to do it for me. Genius.) so we frequently ordered from there.  That is, of course, until they went out of business in Keizer and the nearest one no longer delivered at our house.  Sad, sad day. 

Nine out of ten times I'm going to pick "salt" over "sugar" when I'm hungry.  I love chocolate, but I don't have a terrible sweet tooth.  And if you're looking for other common themes, there's always cheese.  Darn lactardedness.

Day 1: Introduction, recent picture of yourself, 10 interesting facts

I feel silly introducing myself on a blog I've been writing for over six months, but what the heck.  I'm Megan, I'm 25 years old, a (sort of) recent graduate from the University of Oregon.  I work for a faith-based non-profit in Salem.  And last year was huge for me; I bought a house, got a full-time job with benefits, and rescued a dog.  **whew**  Is it time for a nap yet?

Even despite the fact that I have food in my mouth, I actually like this photo.  Bonus, it was taken less than a month ago.  I'm on the right (just in case you were seriously confused).

10 random things about me:

1. I'm really not a "wedding" person.  Didn't dream about it from the time I was 5.  Don't have everything picked out for it.  Someday I'll have one, but I won't be the one planning it.  That's for certain.  Sounds much too stressful and there are *too* many other ways I would rather spend that money.

2. My house is currently infested (okay, that might be a strong word) with ladybugs.  There are probably 20 errant bugs roaming my house as we speak.  Crawling on the ceiling, climbing up the curtains, laying on their backs immobile.  Spiders and ants I know how to deal with, ladybugs are a completely foreign house guest to me.

3. I just reupholstered a wingback chair in my house.  Saw a YouTube tutorial, got inspired, bought a chair off Craigslist, got cool fabric, and then spent a month's worth of weekends tearing the fabric off and then putting more on.  At some point I'll post about the process, for right now I'll just show an after picture.  Amazing, I know.  Ignore the terrible lighting, 2am makes me delusional.

4. I never attended a public elementary school, middle school, or high school.  In fact, my first "public" school was the University of Oregon.  If that even counts.

5. I've visited over 30 states, 5 countries, and lived in Mexico for 3 months.  I love Oregon most of all though.

6. I am frequently mistaken for a high-school student.  Ironic, since I now work with that age group.  For this very reason, I greatly dislike guessing anyone's age.  It's hardly ever a good idea.

7. I have my own handwriting font: Megeletto.  Seriously, what is cooler than that??

8. I love to read.  I've always loved to read.  I also love to write.  When I hear someone (specifically someone between the ages of 5-18) who "doesn't like to read", my heart sinks a little.  Reading was (and is) such a big part of my life I literally can't imagine my life without books.

9. I don't drink coffee.  Never liked the taste.  And I can taste even small traces of it, so telling me that "it doesn't even taste like coffee" is never true.  Fortunately about three months ago I realized that I do, in fact, like mint-flavored tea.  So now the awkward "so, want to grab a cup of coffee?" no longer leaves me without any drink options.

10. Color is my muse.  Bright, cheery colors almost instantly influence my mood positively.  I tend to wear a lot of bright, fun colors for that reason.  Yellow is my all-time favorite.