Sweet Sixteen and a Thousand Gifts

Hello last day of 2012!

You, dear year, have been quite exciting and full of growth.

This was evidenced well on Saturday. 

I had my sixteenth birthday,

And was surprised with a roller rink full of family and friends!

There was even an assortment of beautiful balloons in the deal! 

Later (with the comparatively smaller group of my mom, dad, and sisters) I enjoyed my first ever carriage ride around the city. . .

See the wheel theme? :)

Strawberry cake ended the day fittingly sweet. . . 

And today? 

It was exciting too, with snow deciding to fall. 

I attempted to take pictures of the flakes. . 

Then my sisters and I enjoyed the wonderland in our backyard. . . 

Today also happens to be a Monday.

And, though the time is always right for gratitude, it is nice to participate in Multitudes on Monday on the day it specifies. . . . 

989. candlelight Christmas Eve service

990. afternoon enjoying Christmas decorations, trees, and lights in the city

991. gift giving and opening 

992. going bowling for the second time this year

993. reorganizing/decorating/expanding Barbie World in the basement

994. seeing the movie Parental Guidance at the theater (really enjoyed it!)

995. my mom finding chai scones to make for my birthday breakfast

996. surprise party! sweet family and friends celebrating with me

997. my parents giving me a fountain pen 

998. full, golden moon

999. big, beautiful snowflakes

1000. a new age and a new year

This year has shown me the beauty and freedom that comes with Giving All to God, trusting His Grace, and allowing Him to spread what I have. 

Spread it around dance and school, gratitude and art. 

And, despite growing responsibilities and varying busyness, there has always been enough. 

Extra, in fact. 

When contemplating my name for this new year, another g word came to mind. 

Gather. 

Gather the beauty and freedom, the over-flowing extra.

I am excited for what 2013 holds! 

Blessings~ Megan

Thankful Time

Raking in the blessings after a week of thanks. . . .

956. knitting a Barbie blanket 

957. playing the card games slap jack & golf 

958. sisters who teach me games 

959. raking leaves

960. eating chili~ packed around a dining room table~ lots of laughter

961. hearing an amazing opera singer with a dear friend

962. learning how to tie heart knots (thank you to this video)

963. frog in my throat leaving

964. said frog being figurative

965. a day of Thanksgiving

966. long piano piece roughly in my head

967. meeting second cousins for the first time 

968. having tea parties and "eating" almost as much pretend food as real

969. test for literature, spelling/vocab, and history complete

970. becoming well acquainted with the amendments to the Constitution

971. moving a chair from my room to Youngest Sisters'

972. managing to maneuver the chair through her doorway

973. it working in her room perfectly

974. completing my nature shadow box

975. figuring out why I got stuck on a math problem

976. visiting my Nana and finding her with a crochet hook & yarn

977. new pictures hung in our living room

978. a cold day with rain and a sprinkling of ice

979. babysitting an actual baby

980. my mom's wisdom on caring for babies

981. sleeping soundly

982. the sky constantly changing in beautiful ways

983. the moon saying hello in daylight

984. sisters researching chinchillas as pets

985. learning that the animals are nocturnal before any kind of commitments were made

986. Sevenly shirt arriving in the mail

987. first letter from a college mysteriously arriving in the mail (though how they found my is a mystery. . . not quite sure if I should be glad or paranoid :)

988. formulating Christmas gift ideas

Blessings to you~ Megan

welcome September

          September is in full swing and I'm still attempting to step gracefully into life at home. As routine and school have slid into the days, I've felt a bit scattered. But, thankfully, beauty doesn't demand order. It's managed to smile into the hours and remind me that this month, this new season, is truly something to welcome. So now as I've caught my breath somewhat, I'm here to share the moments caught by my camera and try to let the blessings truly get caught by my heart. 

Continuing my gratitude journal. . . 

925. coming back to dance classes

926. getting un-glamorously sweaty 

927. graduated girls wonderful enough to be greatly missed 

928. demonstrating in two of Youngest Sisters' classes- so fun to get to know those sweet girls!

929. a sky full of spectacular clouds by day and stars by night

930. darling hand-me-downs from a friend

931. trying French Couch Surfer's crepe recipe in our own kitchen (they were trickier to make on our own and turned into a kind of delicious pancake)

932. the making and eating of my sisters' edible cell science project (jello and candy illustrated things well :)  

933. watching our ballet performance on dvd for the first time with all the girls in my class

934. the immensely complex weaving of a dragonfly's wings  

935. getting a peel done on my face (the name sounds crazy, but it's really just like a mask that really works)

936. matcha-loaded black tea

937. getting the hang of writing geometry proofs 

938. watching a Disney movie that wasn't too predictable

939. swinging on the patio after dinner

940. the way our shrub rose blooms in the summer, and comes back blooming in early autumn

941. running into a friend while out jean shopping

942. closet ready with warmer clothes

943. my dad trimming the shrub roses, and bringing one to the table 

934. enjoying my physics class (as clarification, the class is one morning a week and specifically for homeschoolers)

935. conversation and laughter while riding with a ballet friend who is also taking the physics class

936. gifted teachers 

Finding study time. . . 

937. a white-haired lady at the hair salon who smiled and told me she liked the scarf I was knitting

938. finishing my burnt orange scarf before the leaves turn that same color

939. Middle Sister and Youngest Sister restoring order to Barbie World 

940. Youngest Sister's note on the kitchen table letting us know where she was

941. watching Star Wars 5, 6, and 7 with my dad and sisters (our favorite characters were Yoda and the Ewocks :)

942. walking then jogging at the track

943. one sister sporting colorful hearts, the other a panda hat

944. doing pointe again

945. a moment in the middle of spinning when acceleration and balance were actually working together

946. Boden catalogue accidentally arriving in our mailbox- being delighted by cozy colors and charming styles

947. heat softened by a breeze 

948. sweater weather peeking around the corner 

949. kale growing in a pot on our deck

950. riding bikes

951. Youngest Sister riding without help of training wheels

952. shadows playing on the ground

953. banana bread baking- it's smell filling the house 

954. chivalry being alive and well 

955. whispers of autumn

I'm glad to have a couple more weeks to get to know you better, September. But as for now, welcome~ Megan

Turning Three

Today you, my dear blog, turn three. 

I can hardly believe the way time travels.

It seems as though I was just introducing myself. 

Oh, we've come a long way!  

This form of self expression has grown me. 

I love being able to contemplate the world. 

Thank you to anyone who reads this.

Your listening is truly a gift. 

And, blog, welcome to another year. 

Things haven't quite tied up from the last. 

Somehow I don't imagine they'll tie up for a good deal longer. 

Time traveling and all. 

 But don't get discouraged. 

Happily ever after is a process. 

Continuing my gratitude journal. . . 

891. watching a fireworks display with friends

892. loud and crazy being meaningful

893. sparkler twirling

894. swinging on the patio with my sisters 4th of July night

895. freedom

896. watching Brave (I found it amusing, with amazing animation, but having a somewhat forced plot)

897. strawberry balsamic and Persian lime olive oil drizzled on salad

898. spotting a friend while running errands

899. fun during our second dress rehearsal

900. quiet afterwards

901. Rose of Sharon beginning to bloom

902. watching a friend's baseball game

903. dust billowing from the ground

904. enthusiastic yelling

905. afternoon with my mom

906. seeing Snow White and the Huntsman (It seems we go to movies in spurts. I found the elements of story in this one spectacular and very thought-provoking. It wasn't nearly as much fun as Brave, but I enjoyed it more)

907. straw-like grass (though I really do want to get rain)

908. checkers games with my sisters

909. no need to "go easy on them" (at all)

910. Wii tennis tournament in honor of Wimbledon

911. cute and comfortable t-shirts

912. happy processes

913. three years of blogging

Blessings~ Megan