Oh Say Can You See... Fireworks!

Below are two amateur digital camera videos I took of the fireworks on the beaches of Yorktown, VA on July 4, 2009. Enjoy!



Sorry this one is sideways! I have it flipped the correct way on my computer but the Blogger uploader didn't recognize it and took so long to upload I don't want to try again. On the right, that shine is the York River.



"When I count my blessings, I thank God I was an American child!" - Phil Vassar

You Must Be a Digital Nerd If...

... on June 12 you waited up to get your personalized Facbeook URL. Then you did it again on June 27.

Yes, of course, I did it both times. The first time I was aching to get the /meghansager URL before my Iowa name twin had the chance. The second time, I was trying to secure the URL for my current employer and the organization I volunteer for since this was only available to Fan Pages with 1,000+ Fans on the 21st. Facebook clearly stated that on June 28 at 12:01 a.m. Facebook Pages with 25+ Fans would be able to create a personalized URL. I was befuddled when I could not.

When I checked back today, Facebook now states that only Pages with 100+ fans can create a personalized URL. Failbook.

Also, another complaint: I'm now missing many a'Facebook friends' birthdays ever since the brithday reminder was moved tot he bottom of my Home Page. Facebook: Make this a moveable feature so I can get back to my "Happy Birthday!" wall posts.

kthxbai.

My Mother's Grace

I thought for a while about what I would like to say in this post- how personal I would like to make it and how much emotion I would share. This weekend, I was in a wedding in my hometown so I went home and stayed with my parents. The wedding was beautiful and the hope and love the bride and groom share is inspiring. While I was home however, my parents told me something that brought me to my knees. My mother, a breast cancer survivor of two years and thyroid cancer survivor of just a few months, is now battling cancer in her bones.

I am heartbroken. This isn't fair. She doesn't deserve this. And I'm mad. How could this happen? Friends that read this blog, I ask for your prayers. Also, if you come across any research studies following breast cancer patients where it's metastasized to their bones, please let me know. We're going to do everything we can to fight this. This isn't deadly, but it's incurable, causes a lot of pain and has the possibility to spread.

Now I want to share something about my mother. My father is the one who told me the news when I arrived home. He held me while I cried and told me we would all get through this together- our family is strong. I had to go to the rehearsal dinner right after he told me, puffy eyes and all, but when I got home I sat with my mom - talking and crying. She told me that she's done crying. Then she told me about something that happened while I was out at the dinner. You see that night was Relay for Life. She has been involved with Relay for quite a few years and the support her friends give her while they walk and raise money is amazing. This year, survivors received gift baskets and the race was rained out. As luck would have it, my mother's basket was switched and she received a child's basket full of Hannah Montana gifts: glitter, CDs, etc. What the hell was she going to do with this? Can't the universe cut her a break? If she can't feel unity and support from her friends at Relay because of the rain, can't she at least get the right basket? Then she saw a little girl, no older than nine years old. This girl was completely bald. My mom thought to herself, "You know, this sucks. But my life doesn't suck as much as hers or her mother's right now. I've been blessed with an amazing life so far." So she asked this girl if she liked Hannah Montana, and the girl's eyes became as large as saucers. My mom said "Well... they gave me this basket and it's full of Hannah Montana stuff and I think I'm too old for it." To which the girl replied "Yeah, you are." (ha!) and my mother asked if she would like the basket, then gave it to her.

This touched my mother. And this story touched me. What an amazing woman I've been blessed to learn from. I can't describe to you the pride I feel when I hear her talk about the faith and hope she keeps close to her heart. She makes me want to be a better woman and I'm honored to be her daughter. The grace and love my mother exemplifies every day is extraordinary and beautiful.

Please come to Knoxville for the Springtime...

I'm leaving for Knoxville, TN in 12 hours. I thought this week would go by quickly but I think my sheer excitement and unbridled giddiness of visiting Knox to visit my sis, bro-in-law, giant nephew (Great Dane) and temperamental niece (cat) made it drag. Does anyone else notice that when a holiday is coming up, the week feels longer?

Jen Lancaster- Pretty in Plaid Book Signing

I attended a book reading and signing for one of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster, last week (May 8). My sister Katie first lent me her book last summer and it was fantastic. I highly recommend. Start with "Bitter is the New Black"!

Me and Jen:











Jen reading at the Barnes & Noble in D.C.

My Father and I

My father and I play online Scrabble together. First we played on Scrabulous.com until it go shut down by the Scrabble bosses. Now we play on Lexulous.com.

He and I have been super close my whole life. My mother and I have been, too, I'm her Baby Duck. But my Daddy and I have a special connection. I've always been his "Meggie Poo", hence the name of my blog. My sisters are also close with my Dad. I think he's just a good Daddy to us and always has been. He used to make us milkshakes every night before we went to bed... he is that kind of Dad :)

I love playing Scrabble with him online because even though we're a few hours away we can enjoy each others company just the same.

I was telling a co-worker the other day that some of my favorite moments are when I'm visiting home and he comes inside (my father is an outside being, he thrives on the fresh air) and tells me to "Come outside quick! You gotta see this...". I love the adventures he asks me and my sisters to go on with him. I grew up on a modest farm with chickens, ducks, cats and dogs... sometimes a goat or a cow, too. Because of that animal lineup, you know our adventures were cool...

I just played a word in Lexulous.com online Scrabble and had a moment where I wanted to share with anyone and everyone who reads this blog how great my Father is and how much I love him.

Thanks, Dad! It's your turn in Scrabble!

Some more silly things, since I haven't finalized my real "restaurant review" post yet...

So I was convinced one day that I had the humor capacity of a 13-year-old boy when I watched the clip below and couldn't stop giggling. I'm not sure if it's the bodily function noies that gets me, or my love of news anchors fudging things up. Either way, enjoy:



Also, when searching for this clip I had the pleasure of scrolling through MANY FailBlog posts. I cannot tell you how loud I laughed at some. Check it out here: Fail Blog.

Other silly sites that gain from other misfortunes:
FMyLife
Passive Aggressive Notes
Texts from Last Night
Ruminations

Any other favorites of yours? Please share in comments!

Find me...

...on a guest blog! Miss Amanda asked me to guest blog and I did... find me here.

Have a great week!
Meghan