in recognition of "singles awareness day"

SO. having spent valentines day with my lovely friends, partaking in chocolate and adult beverages, watching movies and talking about... stuff. needless to say, it was a pretty good night. I spent the actual day getting my haircut and colored (at the Aveda Academy from a student for DIRT CHEAP! glorious!) then shopping and stuff with Chelsea. but, in honor of the day of love, I post this poem by ee cummings about, well, love. I do not typically call myself some kind of sap, but this is pretty truly a beautiful portrayal of... ahh I can't say anything else without wanting to die. ENJOY!

i love you much(most beautiful darling)

more than anyone on the earth and i
like you better than everything in the sky

-sunlight and singing welcome your coming

although winter may be everywhere
with such a silence and such a darkness
noone can quite begin to guess

(except my life)the true time of year-

and if what calls itself a world should have
the luck to hear such singing(or glimpse such
sunlight as will leap higher than high
through gayer than gayest someone's heart at your each

nearness)everyone certainly would(my
most beautiful darling)believe in nothing but love

derek webb is a baller

taken from "Lover" by Derek Webb

I’ve always been a lover from before I drew a breath
Some things I loved easy and some I loved to death
Because love’s no politician, it listens carefully
Of those who come I can’t lose one, so you will be set free

But go on and take my picture, go on and make me up
I’ll still be your defender, you’ll be my missing son
And I’ll send out an army just to bring you back to me
Because regardless of your brother’s lies you will be set free

I am my beloveds and my beloved’s mine
So you bring all your history and I’ll bring the bread and wine
And we’ll have us a party where all the drinks are on me
Then as surely as the rising sun you will be set free

Derek Webb = genius lyricist WHO I was lucky enough to see in concert last night with Caedmon's Call. just think... of those who come He can't lose one! and we will be set free. Then my very favorite lyric of all DWebb lyrics... we bring Christ our history, all of the crap in our past that sucks and is ugly and broken, and He takes it for us - there is no catch. as surely as the rising sun... YOU will be set free. which for me is a really beautiful truth.

It's a beautiful Sunday and today I'm just pretty thankful for all that is so good in my life. mostly, from the concert last night (Derek Webb and Caedmon's Call) and church this morning, I'm just reminded of how lovely it is to be a part of a community of believers, of brothers and sisters in Christ... and to have such an amazing gift of life and mercy and grace from a Savior who values us and draws us close, just as we are, with all of our ugliness and selfishness and sin, to Himself.

glorious.

skiing, take two: reality sets in

I have yet to stop laughing from yesterday's events on the slopes. I went skiing for a second time with three of my favorite people, expecting (for whatever reason) to have a glorious, perfect, skillful, day of skiing. but alas, this was not to be. and for us 4, who after yesterday we agreed to be akin to a group of special needs kids allowed out without adult supervision, the day was anything but uneventful. allow me to, without naming names, tell you a little about our day.

having gone down one green (beginner) run, I (along with my trusty friends) decided that I was surely ready to take on a blue (intermediate) run. clearly. mind you, on the green run, we also ended up going too far and ended up back in the parking lot where our car was, and had to ride the gondola back up to where the lifts are. off to a good start, I think!
we make it back up, find a blue run, and I am presented with the steepest hill of snow I have ever seen, and I begin to panic. After a pep-talk from my skiing buddy for the day (who shall remain nameless - the other two left us for snowboarding together), I snowplowed through the hill, and didn't even fall! wonderful. on this run, I began a pretty steady stream of falls that were pretty fun - one had me sliding pretty far down the mountain on my back, head first, one ski parallel to the rest of my body up in the air. we decide we have time for one more blue before meeting the boarders for lunch, and we head down Claimjumper to the base of peak 8. little did I know how this was about to go...
so it basically went like this: I would go ahead of my friend in case I fell, I would get going (too fast), lose the ability to stop, and end up eating it (or making myself eat it at the alternative of running into a tree) almost every time. apparently, according my friend who was behind me, she could always tell when I'd lost control, and it was pretty funny to observe, not to mention the massive wipe-outs I was taking. needless to say, my friend laughed so hard at me that she, well, peed her pants. which made for a cold remainder of the day for her... and a hilarious laugh for the rest of us.
my other darling friend, unfortunately, broke her ankle. SADDD. we were a pretty sorry bunch by the end of the day. today, I feel as though I essentially was beaten with a baseball bat yesterday... I am a little sore, normally, but I am also quite banged up from the intensity of all my wipe outs. lovely.

so, in retrospect, I realize that I need to stick with the greens until I well, know how to ski. HA. good call.

with love from a sore, battered megan,
and happy superbowl. go Giants.

song of the day: Benny and the Jets - Elton John

I've got soul but I'm not a soulja

another cummings poem for your appreciation:

it is at moments after i have dreamed
of the rare entertainment of your eyes,
when (being fool to fancy) i have deemed

with your peculiar mouth my heart made wise;
at moments when the glassy darkness holds

the genuine apparition of your smile
(it was through tears always)and silence moulds
such strangeness as was mine a little while;

moments when my once more illustrious arms
are filled with fascination, when my breast
wears the intolerant brightness of your charms:

one pierced moment whiter than the rest

-turning from the tremendous lie of sleep
i watch the roses of the day grow deep.


"one pierced moment whiter than the rest"
beautiful.

I don't know why I know these things, but I do

well hey there lovelies!
Thomas, as per usual, brought it to my attention that I have not said anything in a while. well, Thomas, thats because I've been out having a life. I suggest you try it.
haha - I kiiid. I have, however, been a pretty busy lady these past weeks. since skiing, I have been a social butterfly with all my Denver friends - who I am loving more and more with each passing day - and I also went to SAN ANTONIO! let me tell you - a glorious reunion was had by all. or something. long weekend debriefed briefly (haha) is as follows:
arrived in SA, Lori picked me up. stayed with Kara and Madison at their cute little house, and Ali and Ellen were there to celebrate me, clearly. in the morning we picked up Kristin from the airport, and we obsessed over eachother for a while, then headed to Trinity, to see every little Sigma that ever there was, with special appearances by Jessica Mattsson, Jason and Malia and a HUGE 2 year old Zeke (!), among other thrilling and exciting individuals. Blah blah blah, Clint came on Saturday (after our day of eating at Twin Sisters and visiting Papa Dean's Popcorn) and we all went to Pat O'Briens for some debauchery and fun (haha - which is relative to all of our old-ness that apparently sets in once you graduate from college, weird.) Sunday I was at FPC - saw my high school kiddos along with lots of others... you get the idea. it was a crazy, whirl-wind few days, but such a blessing to be back with my besties, to cuddle with Sandy, to talk with Lori when we should be sleeping, to laugh and be amazing with Kristin, etc. etc. so so good and so so needed. the end.

since then I have actually been legitimately kind of cool - went on a day excursion to the Denver Art Museum which I am obsessed with, now. Learned this from one of the more contemporary exhibits, an artist who utilized, well, stripes: "A stripe is just as real as a g*dd**n flower." - Gene Davis. Thank you, contemporary art.

since then, game night, ice skating and outlet shopping in Dillon, CO, and lots of fun conversations, some really REALLy late nights, and other fun things.
AND - found a church I'm going to stick with. Denver Community Church. love it.

ok thats all - some pictures because I feel like these are boring without them, then I'm off. LOVE LOVE!

listen to: He Said She Said - Ashley Tisdale. best workout song EVER.
read: Water for Elephants. I LOVED it.

HAHA - oh yeah, minor thing, I started school today. having been to two classes, I know that I am obsessed with my Old Testament class (seriously) and professor, and pretty much hate my Groups in Counseling class. Ideal.

peace out -

a glorious attempt at couple's skating with Allison:

with some of my best friends of the world in San Antonio

sexy faces with Ali and Kara - note: Kara is not, in fact, flipping off the camera. although it really looks like she is.

with my skating date, Allison!

official initiation into legit coloradoism: skiing

It is true: and official: I SKIIED!
my friend melanie and I decided, one fateful thursday, that we should ski. first available day? saturday. and there it was.
we drove to Keystone at 7am on Saturday, excited and secretly fearful for our lives/limbs. it took us 3 hours to drive the 1.5 hour drive due to ski traffic (I-70 goes to Keystone, Breck and Vail... among other mountains) and upon arrival/viewing lifts/seeing skiiers seemingly plummeting to their deaths, we began to panic. we spent about 30 minutes trying to put on our ski boots at the car, which we decided was probably not boding very well for our day on the slopes!
we walked to the ski school, and were informed that a class was leaving right then - so with no time to freak over the imminent danger and massive charge to our credit cards, we grabbed our stuff and headed out with Derald (yes, Derald) our instructor, and 2 other first-time girls. cue heart pounding panic attack.
the rest of the day went in a direction I never could have predicted. first of all, I am a pretty good skiier. like, seriously. I know its shocking - no one was more shocked than I was - but it was SO SO SO FUN. I only fell once all day - Derald was so proud of me. AND, apparently, my deathly fear of heights has subsided, as being on the lift, dangling in mid air, had zero affect on me. it was actually kind of fun, not to mention BEAUTIFUL. who can believe that I live in a place where such amazing beauty and splendor is only a couple of hours to the west?

I was going to go again today, actually, but when we woke up this morning and checked the weather, it was -14 in Breckenridge with a high of 2. HAHA. no thank you.

so, to all the nonbelievers who (admit it) thought I would live here and never ski, you are wrong. and something I thought I would hate, I loved! how lovely. I couldn't be more pleased.

please enjoy below evidence: mel and I all decked out in our not-so-flattering ski gear (I'm pretty sure ski pants add 30 pounds, no lie), and me on the lift (because I was pretty sure if I didn't document it, my mom would think I was a liar. seriously.)

love!

I think that possibly, maybe, I'm falling for you

........



I get paid to play with this baby. glorious.

if I was a flower growing wild and free, all I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee

I don't know what part of me thought "oh yes, I have a difficult time responding to emails and phone calls and am a pretty big loser about communication in general, but clearly, I will be able to keep up a blog!" not so, my friends. not so.
however, I am trying! I could tell you something stupid like that my new years resolution is to blog more, but that would be, well, stupid. as well as not true. I feel, in general, that new years resolutions are... well, stupid. haha. I mean, on the 31st I can't manage to run everyday, but on the 1st I'll have the resolve!? no. I think its a lovely concept, and I'll grant that the new year is a good time to decide to make changes, but be realistic! allow yourself some breathing room! I feel that NYR's set you up to fail and feel like crap, which is mostly why I don't like them. but hey. if you really can, in one day, decide to make major life changes, more power to you and tell me to shutface! I only encourage you to be proactive about making changes in your life for sure, if they are needed, but don't be too terribly hard on yourself!

SO. I am back in lovely, snowy Denver after a delightful break with my family and what 3 friends I have left in Wichita, and am glad to be back to my house and in my bed and such. I am always struck by the fact, too, that I pretty much set foot in my Wichita house and immediately revert back to age 15. seriously. I'm messier, snittier, stupider, lazier, and more sensitive. its insane! within a day, I swear, my room is a mess, I haven't gotten off the couch from watching America's Next Top Model for 3 days, and I've taken to saying things like "whatever" and I've rolled my eyes so many times my head hurts. ok, so I'm exaggerating for sure. but there is something about being at home with my siblings and parents that makes me forget that I'm kind of an adult now and stuff. interesting. all that to say - my visit truly was lovely, and I was glad to be able to spend time with the fam adequately, be there for hard things, love people with hugs instead of phone calls, and mock my mom endlessly for not cooking. haha. there's no place like home!
I start my nanny job tomorrow for real! Tuesdays and Thursday morning/afternoons I will be spending my time with the aahhhdorable 5 month old Bodie. I went and spent time with his mom, Karli, today and got to view the babe himself in action - and he is superb! it will be hard not to compare him to my perfect niece Shelbie, who is a little younger than he is, but I think I can handle loving him without taking Shelbs off her pedestal, which I'm certain is unshakable. I got to stay with Timmy and Babes for a couple of days over break, too, which was wonderful and exhausting - Amie, you are potentially superhuman, because, both days I barely managed to even get myself out of my pajamas before the end of the day! however - wonderful and priceless, to be sure. love those kids! and more on my new job as it develops! and perhaps I will sneak a picture of Bodie on here so you all can view my new charge!

ok - so - hanging out, trying to kill time before school starts at the end of jan; visiting San Antonio (SO SO SO EXCITED) in 10 days for MLK weekend - for reuniting with old friends and besties and general merriment in ol' Mexico... and that about covers it.

movies I think everyone should see:
Juno, Atonement, Enchanted. all amazing.

people whose music I think everyone should listen to:
Sara Bareilles, Josh Ritter, John Legend.

love love and merry christmas and happy new year and all that jazz. until next time, see movies and resist the urge to make ridiculous new years resolutions. I'm just saying.

ee cummings is a genius

I am absolutely enamored with ee cummings' poetry. I'm talking true, unfettered, love love love. he puts words to things I couldn't even dream of doing... and he doesn't use capital letters, which makes me love him even more! so I'm taking the opportunity to share this, one of my favorite poems of his... I hope it speaks to your soul like it does mine.

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
--i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
--i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

love hurts sometimes, when you do it right

patient friends and loved ones -
as it turns out, during finals/tests/stressful times in general, I have this bizarre tendency to become a hermit. seriously. even thinking or considering doing something like blogging or returning phone calls made my head hurt. but never fear my tiny friends, because the drought is over, and I am back and better than ever! or at least back. it is almost midnight on the night after my last final, so I mean, I make no promises about coherency or anything of that sort, but I WILL attempt to update you on my life and times since the last time I updated like 40 years ago. although, at this moment, I can barely remember a time that I wasn't studying. hmm.
so in Colorado, it snows a lot. like a lot a lot. which is fun and pretty - also treacherous. I have fallen upwards of five times already... mostly when I'm by myself, luckily. however, I have had one public ice-ass moment - but what would a good month be without one of those, right? needless to say, I'm walking out of a restaurant one night with a bunch of friends, and I see that the car I came in is about to load and leave. so I'm thinking I'm pretty funny, and I take off running for the car and yell "shotgun! haha - just kidd..." about the time I got to "...ing!" my right foot hit a patch of ice right by my friends, sending both feet perfectly out from under me and butt firmly to the pavement. perfect. after the .45 seconds it took to discover that I was not injured, clearly, laughter ensued. and I died a little on the inside when I realized that I will never be graceful. or cool. dangit.
in other news, I have officially completed my first semester of grad school, which is slightly insane, but also kind of special. (what?) anyway, let me engage you in a first semester assessment of my life here in good old Denver:
school is lovely. I am not much for school in general, but I do love my program and what I'm learning and stuff. turns out, however, that to become a counselor you don't have to not be crazy necessarily (which is lucky for me, as many of you can attest), but you have to be AWARE of all of the ways in which you are crazy so you don't make other people crazy. at least thats how I see it. I have done more self-analysis this semester than I ever hope to do again, and am consequently terribly aware of all of my psychoses. healthy? perhaps. fun? not really at all. but such is life.
my new seminary friends are not nearly as lame as I thought they might be, which is a plus! ok I kid, I kid, but for realzzz - I love the people I am getting to know and I feel super about being here. I love Denver, I do love my new house (complete with 3 new roomies and 2 pretty puppies!), I love my DS friends, I love my non-DS friends (read: Alix and Melanie), and I am really just feeling like life is but a dream. too much touchy-feely emotion for one post? deal with it. I like my life.
since it's been like 4 months since my last post, I feel like I could go on forever - I never have understood quite what the meaning of "concise" was - but I feel that no one will read past the part where I ate it on the ice anyway. so I think I'll go to sleep. tomorrow I am having people over for dinner and am making chili... which sounded like a super idea until I remembered that I have actually no idea how to make chili, and now I am cooking it for like 15 people. OOPS! better get on that.

its good to be back, blog-stalkers - I have missed you knowing creepy amounts of information about my life! oh, and song of the day: In the Sun by Joseph Arthur

peace, love, and mariah carey's christmas album,
megan "so excited for christmas break she can hardly contain herself" greaves

family picture gone terribly wrong...

be honest, you love the velvet turtleneck.

allison and beckie, whom I adoooore

shelbie essentially stole my heart over thanksgiving

my b, dawg

so, in retrospect, I totally misused the word plight. it's definition is: a condition, state, or situation, esp. an unfavorable or unfortunate one: to find oneself in a sorry plight. so really, I am not in one of those at all. I would say my starbucks mission (we'll go with mission) is anything BUt unfavorable or unfortunate. So. sorry to have misled you. carry on.

xoxo

i'm a sucker for happy endings

----------
beloved readers,
(what?)
greetings! I am due for an update I think, and clearly since it's friday night and I'm babysitting and I couldn't write another paper if you paid me, I decided now was the time. I'm babysitting again for my friend Mark's cute kids while he's out on the town with his wife. Owen, who I believe is 3, got out of bed a few minutes ago, said "mrs. Megan?" and when I went to the stairs, shoved his finger on my face and politely informed me that he had a boogie on it, and kindly asked if I would remove said boogie. after I finished throwing up in my mouth a little (if you know anything about me and boogies... ew) I promptly wiped it off and sent him back to bed, allowing myself to laugh. didn't want him having boogie-inspired self esteem problems because I laughed at his face. these kids are legitimately AHH-dorable though - PLUS I got to watch Mary Poppins.
talk about a poppin' friday night!
HA but, fun story - I got lost coming to Mark's house - like, inexplicably, unbelievably lost. my plan was to leave the library, go to sbucks (see below) and then come here - so I had directions from the sbucks. BUT ALAS. the first street on the directions literally does not exist. or else you have to go through some sort of portal to get there. needless to say, one guess about who got me unlost... yes folks, thats correct, Thomas the directions prodigy. Thomas the kid who memorized the school directory at age 8. Thomas, my genuis brother. were it not for him, I would potentially still not be here... and I am eternally grateful. and apparently, irreversibly bad at directions. crap.
in happier news, my week of papers is about to come to an end. I have pumped out a 20 page autobiographical paper, a 9 page paper about someone else, and am beginning work on a 10 page analysis of 2 Corinthians 4-5 so I don't have to do it over the break. ambitious much?
today I also continued on my newest plight: to try all of the holiday drinks at starbucks on a $20 gift card. the pumpkin spice is my old favorite, but today at the prompting of the barista (and consequently my friend Justin who distracts me during New Testament) I tried a peppermint white chocolate mocha (or something like that). while I can't afford to spend real money on said plight (and who can?), so far I am rocking the $20 maximum and enjoying this tasty plight.
word of the day: plight.

yes, so I think that about sums it up. I started moving things out (sad sad!) and am aiming to do more of that tomorrow, as well as writing this stupid last paper to reach all of my pre-Thanksgiving goals.

song of the day: "Taylor, the Latte Boy" by Kristin Chenoweth (don't judge me)
going home countdown: 4 days
movie I literally can't wait to see: Enchanted (again, don't judge me)

ok thats all I've got.
peace, love, and heated seats,

megan mcgregor greaves

i know, i know, i know the sky is what makes the ocean blue

so, I have recently looked at my countdown to thanksgiving, and shockingly, I go home in NINE DAYS! oh my goodness. I am super excited about getting away for a while, but my goodness, do I have a lot to do in 9 days. its going to be a busy week plus, thats for sure! I need to finish writing my 20 page autobiographical theories paper - where I give my autobiography and then apply counseling theories to my own life (HA). so fun. that is all that I need to do before break, but there are so many things due right after break (that I don't want to do during break) that I need to get a leg up on those too. such a crazy life I lead. also I need to move (again, HA) this week so I don't have to do it all right after I get back. Alix and I are getting a little sad about the finality of our breakup, but I think we're definitely still going to hang out all the time (duh) so we'll make it through I think. OH THE EMOTION OF IT ALL!

kristin was here this weekend - so fun. we saw Ben Lee in concert, took pictures with him, and noted that he is a tiny tiny man. but super and fun. now I am recovering from our weekend by baby-stepping back into my homework slash watching america's next top model, which I'm ashamed to say is slowly eating away at my life.

off I go for my week of productivity... oh what joy. soon I will be at home, holding babies, making stuffing, eating pumpkin rolls... oh I can hardly wait!

me, with mr. ben lee.

::but it sure is fancy how you love me::

oh what a GLORIOUS weekend. I mean truly glorious.
after my Thursday of baked goods and beauty, I spent Friday giving away said baked goods and napping and doing homework and all around having a grand ol' time. I capped off Friday with a square dance at the harvest ho down at school (most attendees were children... but as Beckie put it: "I can't decide if this is the cutest or lamest thing I have ever attended." Amen.) after which, we retreated to my friend Lisa's to watch a movie. what a day. which brings me to Saturday, where the gloriousness continued with an outdoor run in Wash Park - at which point I realized treadmill and outdoors are NOT in fact equal, and then I nearly amputated my legs. BUT, Wash Park is gorgeous. and I am moving there. so I will wean myself off the treadmill and into the great outdoors if it kills me! oh gosh and THEN (this was just a really great day.) I made myself a breakfast taco with the leftover eggs from the pumpkin cookies and beans and pico. delish. but then comes the really good part: me, Lisa, Beckie, Allison and Chelsea (see picture: minus Allison, who is photographer... but she can be viewed in the one below) drove to BOULDER for an afternoon of FUN and the best concert ever: Matty Wertz and Dave Barnes!!! we shopped on Pearl Street, walked for hours, and enjoyed the mountains - followed by a huge dinner at Rio Cantina and a trip to the famous Tea House for some... you know, tea. the day culminated then, with the best concert I have ever been to (counting the two other times I have seen Matt before in Austin). there is something that just cannot compare with seeing your favorite singer live. and, with Dave Barnes (who most of us promptly fell in love with on sight) who is his BFF, he was just great. their encore consisted of covers of "every little thing she does is magic" by sting and the police and "signed, sealed, delivered - i'm yours" by stevie wonder. they sang their own songs the rest, obv, but those two numbers rocked the house. I'm pretty much still kind of giddy about the whole experience. I am such a fool.

SO: kristin comes in 5 days, thanksgiving break starts in 15 days, and life is but a dream. but until then, pretty much, I will be writing papers. 24/7.
please immediately download: "nothing fancy" and "your love will never change", by Dave Barnes (and then stare at his picture for hours because he is such a beautiful human)

enjoy your Monday!

playing with puppets?

allison, beckie and me at the concert

the object(s) of our musical affections: matt (l) & dave (r)

where I live & what I baked.

--------------


have you ever SEEN a bluer sky?!



I still can't believe I live in the mountains.



I've never felt prouder than I did tonight when I baked these Chocolate Drizzle Pumpkin Cookies straight out of my fabulous November issue of Everyday Food. plus they are DELECTABLE. I even fashioned one of those drizzlers of chocolate (which I melted myself) out of a plastic baggie. I've pretty much never been more thrilled.

Its been a day of great beauty, my friends.

ps. happy November!
pps. DL: November, by Emerson Drive - best song ever

ppps. shoutout to Emily -
Michael: Attention everyone. I... DECLARE... BANKRUPCY!
Oscar: You know you can't just say it, right?
Michael: I didn't just say it, Oscar. I DECLARED it.
- The Office