brave hearts do not back down

Fort Benning, Georgia.

This is the place where my brother has spent the past 20+ weeks becoming a soldier (4 of those weeks were spent back at home, due to medical complications). Not only did he become a soldier, he became a part of the infantry. Perhaps the hardest of all jobs in the Army

Most definitely the hardest on this sister's fragile heart.

This is also the place we just got back home from (7+ hour drive each way) to go see this boy-turned-soldier of ours graduate.

And a soldier he surely was. Though we'd seen him a few weeks earlier so it wasn't as though it was a huge shock to see him in his transformed state, but he did look rather dapper in his uniform.

We watched his turning blue ceremony Wednesday where the blue ribbon you see around his shoulder was pinned onto him, officially proclaiming him an infantryman.

Friday morning, we went here:

The National Infantry Museum.

Of course, since it was only a thousand degrees in south Georgia, they held the official graduation ceremony outside. Where they set off colored smoke bombs.

And they came at us with guns.

It was your typical graduation (sans the guns, probably, I've never seen that before at any of the graduations I've been to). There was speech from someone official that contained an inspiring quote I desperately tried to retain (but failed - and so has google, they couldn't find it from the broken bits and pieces I typed in to search), there were awards given, the band played, and I held back the tears as I considered just how proud I am of my baby brother.

For now, this boy... er, solider, is home with us for a couple days before he gets stationed in Washington.

Come September, he'll be headed due east (or due west, I suppose, depending on which way he travels from Washington. I don't know the standard route) for Iraq.

And while I know he's trained for this type of thing and they made him "army strong" he's still my baby brother, my b-wonder* and I will be a mess when that day comes.

*B-wonder: Short for Boy Wonder. The nickname I honored my brother with many, many years ago. I don't know where it comes from, but it stuck. Remember, a nickname is the best gift you can give someone and that is the nickname I gifted my brother with. His real name is Michael. I prefer B-wonder.

He may be a trained solider, taught to fight during a time of war, but he will always be my little brother and I will always believe I'm stronger and bigger than him and can take him any day.

Always.

newest obsessions

I have been accused of having a somewhat obsessive personality. I don't deny that, yes, I may have a slight tendancy to become... eager over belongings or foods to colors or anything of the like

Obsessive? Maybe.

Okay. Probably.

But only a little. And nothing dangerous (unless you count giant purses dangerous, which some might).

And so, in the spirit of my slightly obsessive personality, these are currently the things in my life that I have become obsessed with.

This awesome yellow airport bag* I picked up from Target for only $12.99.

*Y'all do know what an airport bag is, right? No? Just my own Megan-ism? Well, let me explain one of the great inventions of all time: the airport bag.

An airport bag, is, esentially, a large tote bag that one would use on a trip to carry all of their belongings through the airport. You know, because one requires a lot more things while going on a trip to the airport than they normally do on a day-to-day basis. I picked up this particular airport bag for my recent(ish) trip to Wisconsin. However, I personally use my aiport bag every single day of my life.

I tend to accumulate a lot of things.

There's probably some correlation between having a giant purse and carrying more things around. But, as a good psych major, I know that corrleation does not equal causation.

Besides, this bag is cute, fun, and perfect for summer. Especially in that bright, cheerful shade of yellow.

Yellow might just become my new pink.

Maybe. Though, I don't look good in yellow (the curse of being a fair-skinned blonde!) so only yellow accessories will have to do.

This bag is not only good for carrying around all the essentials one might need (ya know, water bottle, umbrealla, cell, keys, etc, etc) it's also stury enough to tote around all 12 pounds of War & Peace.

That's no small feat, I assure you. Neither is reading it. But that's another post, for another day.

This is my other new obsession: these awesome vintage-esque rainboots with little pink birds on them. So, they combine two obsessions into one awesome thing: birds and rainboots. These were another Target find. As soon as I saw them, I knew they had to be mine mine mine.

Of course, it's rained all of one time since I've had them. Um, hello, where's my rainy summer weather that I ordered?

I've also been made fun of by my best friend and a few others, but that doesn't stop me from loving these boots! Besides, I think it's just their jealousy shinning through.

Sometimes, you just need to make sacrifies for fashion.

how to find your first apartment: part 2

Step 1: Find an apartment that looks too good to be true.

Step 2: Call the too-good-to-be true apartment and discover that it might not be too good to be true after all. Hallelujah.

Step 3: Sucker one of your best friends into going on an impromptu road trip with you the very next day.

Step 4: Drive 3.5 hours (plus 3 stops for food, gas, and a drink) across the entire state. Paying no less than $5 in tolls. And believe that the $2.50 to get onto Alligator Alley was definitely not worth the price of admission.

Step 5: Drive in the pouring rain at times.

Step 6: Get lost only one time. Pay .50 to get back onto the interstate.

Step 7: Thank your lucky stars that you suckered one of your best friends into coming with you or your less than stellar sense of direction would have gotten you even more lost.

Step 8: Tour the apartment.

Step 9: Picture all of your furniture and decorations that you've been collecting over the past few months in the space of the apartment.

Step 10: Think it'll all look pretty damn fabulous in the space.

Step 11: Picture yourself cooking... um... ordering takeout in the lovely kitchen.

Step 11: Ask if they accept neurotic, 3 pound tabby cats. Only, you leave out the neurotic bit.

Step 12: They do! Hallelujah.

Step 13: Congratulations, you've found the place you'll be living in 9 weeks.

Step 14: Drive 3.5 hours back home, getting lost only shortly while you try to find food but discover everything is painted the same color. Odd.

Step 15: Get back home.

Step 16: Realize that you have to move in only 9 weeks.

Step 17: Cry.

ikea: like disney world, only better

Sunday, I forced my parents (I needed my dad's truck for all the grand plans I had) to drive me an hour north to this place of wonders.

I'd seen pictures on the news - crowds lined up waiting for the doors to open each and every morning. Of people camping outside, days before the grand opening, only a month earlier. It was like no one had ever seen a discount furniture store.

Or maybe no one had ever seen a Swedish discount furniture store before.

I wanted to see what all of the hype was about. I also wanted to get me some discount furniture - and yes, Swedish discount furniture at that. Especially since I'll be moving in a few short weeks and the only furniture I have to my name is my bed and a bookshelf I picked up at Target.

And so, I had lofty expectations for this Swedish discount furniture store.

We arrived to an empty parking lot Sunday morning. I considered that all of the hype had been exaggerated, no one really wanted discount Swedish furniture. But then, I considered that we were two hours early and the store didn't open until 12 on Sundays.

After driving aimlessly around town for awhile, we ventured back to the promised land and found, much to our amazement, the parking lot begin to fill. Even with an hour left to open.

Then, the line began to form.

Then, the rain started to pour. With the rain pouring in, the crowds began doing the same.

Finally, at 11:30, the doors were opening and we trickled inside with the rest of them. We were given a map (shown above) of the maze that is IKEA and tiny pencils in which to mark our findings.

My mom and I executed a game plan. My step-dad commented on the losers surrounding him. We reminded him he was one of them.

With hundreds of other thrifty shoppers, we began our way through the maze that is IKEA. Ushered from one room to next without even realizing it. Gazing at everything from couches to throw pillows to kitchen cabinets to vases.

It was crowded. It was overwhelming - with everything there was to see and experience and to browse. It was just like Disney World.

Only better.

Especially for a frugal soul like myself, looking to furnish her first apartment as inexpensively as possible. IKEA, the Swedish discount furniture store, was just the place for me.

It was like finding my mother ship.

In only two hours (it could have been much, much, much longer, but we were ushered quickly through by the man we had brought with us) we'd made it through IKEA.

And for only $300, I walked away with 2 end tables, a coffee table, an entire bed, a pillow that had the map of the world on it, 2 lamps, a rug, and 3 tiny stuffed animals and burp clothes for a certain someone I learned was expecting that very morning.

Not too shabby.

So, for that, IKEA became my version of the happiest place on earth.

After all, discount Swedish furniture is bound to make anyone happy.

how to find your first apartment (in a city you've never been to)

Step 1: Search the entire internet for apartments (apartments.com, rent.com, forrent.com, apartmentguide.com and every website in between).

Step 2: Turn to the local (online) newspaper to expand your search options.

Step 3: Have your mom's coworker in another office (in the city you've moving to) overnight you the Sunday paper so that you can look for apartments in print.

Step 4: Call the apartments you've found that are semi-reasonable.

Step 5: Be told that the rent is at least $200 more than advertised on the websites/newspaper on every apartment you call. Oh, and they wont even accept your 3 pound tabby cat, despite the fact that they do not even know yet how neurotic she actually is, for being 3 pounds and all.

Step 6: Cry.

Step 7: Swear you're not even going to move since you cannot afford it.

Step 8: Discover that your mom's coworker has a friend in the area you're moving to.

Step 9: E-mail sweet, helpful friend of a friend of a friend.

Step 10: Receive lots of helpful advice on which area to concentrate your efforts and even an offer to help show you around when you actually come to said city for a visit.

Step 11: Once again search the entire internet for apartments in said specific area the friend of a friend of a friend suggested.

Step 12: Realize you cannot afford any apartments in the area.

Step 13: Repeat steps 6 & 7.

Step 14: Actually discover a cute, affordable apartment in the cute area suggested to your by the friend of a friend of a friend. It will even accept your cute little 3 pound tabby cat.

Step 15: Get your hopes up.

Step 16: Are told, once again, that the rent is $200 more than you expected to pay.

Step 17: Repeat steps 6 & 7.

Step 18: Search, search, search some more.