Invited to the Junket

Greg & I have had our invitations designed & ready to print for what seems like FOREVER. We got a great recommendation from a friend of ours to try a printer she'd used before here in Chicago so we set up an appointment & had it all figured out. Then my Mom had the idea of checking with a family printer in St. Pete. Of course I was originally peeved because this would "slow us down", but I have to give credit to Mom...she got a pretty brilliant deal back home & I was happy to shop "local".

When I was home for my bachelorette party & shower we picked up the invitations & they are exactly what I wanted. I flew them all the way back to Chicago so that Greg & I could address them & get them on their way. FIRST I had to figure out how to get them addressed without either hiring a full time calligrapher or paying a printer a big fee to print them for us. SO I decided to do it myself. Shocker right? Fellow savvy brides...pay attention. Everybody else, stop reading.

It's a 2 parter: FIRST I found this tutorial on how to print on this little baby RSVP envelopes. That was a relief because I had already been having a hard time with the big envelopes so I was afraid of how difficult the little ones would be. They turned out to be easier than the big ones. SECOND I did myself a favor & created a spreadsheet of our guests & their addresses. I am already excited for how this is going to streamline the holiday card process. Once I made my "mail merge" (I know...nerd) I was home free. ALSO I happened across a beautiful script that I think is polished without being fussy & that's what I used for the whole project. I found it on one of my favorite blogs, How About Orange.

all of the necessary components

So, once all of the addressing was completed I started the hunt for postage. I might lean a little on the overly practical side of things, so I had an embarrassingly practical plan to begin with which I won't even share. THEN I started looking on Zazzle for postage because that's where we got our stamps for the Save the Dates & I loved them. Their products are super cute but a little pricey for me at this stage of the game. Enter the old trusty United States Postal Service...Making bridal postage dreams come true since 1775. There were 3 "wedding stamps" available but of course you know I can't let my creative side go down without a fight...and then I found THEEEESE. Garden of Love? We're getting married in a Garden. We're in love. PERFECT! So we order 1.5 MILLION sheets of these (ok not that much but close) & they finally arrived YESTERDAY!

If I haven't already said enough how much we love & adore our neighbors Rich & Charlene I need to say it again. They have changed our Chicago living lives since we met this Fall. They have been supportive, kind & helpful in every possible way & they're really more like family than neighbors. It's almost like my dream of all of my family & friends living on a compound somewhere in the south...except it's a condo building with our neighbors in Chicago. Gotta start small. Anyway, they had our pups for the day (per usual) so we went down to their place for dinner & invitation assembling. Charlene is a fellow crafter/do it yourselfer so she jumped right in & Rich played his valued role as puppy wrangler. All in all it didn't take long & we had a really good time.

So here we are. The stamped & addressed wedding invitations are on their way to their destinations & we are counting down the 6 short weeks to the wedding. Since I'm already on a bridal rant here I want to give credit to the people who made the invitations so amazing. #1 the designer, Ngaire Locking of Greetings Oscar in Melbourne Australia. Yes, Australia but we found Greetings Oscar via Etsy, my favorite wedding shopping site. She was & continues to be amazing as we finalize many other pieces of the suite for the big day. #2 the printer, Bates Printing. They were fast, affordable & amazing. They'll be doing the rest of our printing for the wedding for sure.

So that's the "exciting happenings" around here. We're off to Canada this afternoon for the annual Sigma Chi Hockey Tournament. This trip is a belated birthday trip for Greg & we're both excited. It's my first time to Canada so I'm sure there'll be lots of pictures. Stay tuuuuuuuuuned!

Happy Friday Friendlies,
Meggo

The Business

So I've been in my graduate program for 3 semesters now & I'm about to start my LAST. SEMESTER. Before I graduate though I have to complete a internship. Lucky for ME I'm doing my internship at the Northwestern Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life. Even LUCKIER is that my first project was 2012 Panhellenic Recruitment. Originally this opportunity had absolutely zero conflicts associated with it...until  a few weeks ago when I stepped into a role as chapter advisor for the Zeta chapter at Northwestern. Even with dual "responsibilities" I was still able to give my full attention to my internship as OFSL staff & made some time to check in with my chapter. But wait...there's more...our National President, Mrs. Riddle came for recruitment so I also got to spend a lot of quality time talking & laughing with her & hearing the big dreams that National Council has for Zeta Tau Alpha. I still can't believe this is my life.

Even with all of the happiness & excitement around this time of year, the process of formal recruitment for both the women going through the process & the chapters looking to add members can be very business like. We started with around 600 women who all visited each of our 12 chapters to see who they connected most with. On day 1 it all seems really easy & fun & everyone is having great success meeting people they have things in common with. Then everybody makes their choices of who they liked the best, we all go to sleep & start again the next day. On day 2 it gets a little complicated. Some of the women that loved particular chapters don't get to go back to that house, and vice versa. This turn of events can be at least a little emotional for some women, but we are usually able to turn each PNM's attention to the silver lining & move forward with the process. Then everybody makes their choices of who they liked the best, we all go to sleep & start again the next day. On day 3, things get more than a little complicated, & the process continues into day 5 when emotions are high, expectations are higher & everybody's hopes are up & hearts are set on ONE particular chapter or member. When it's time to come to a close, everybody meets together & the matches between unaffiliated women & the respective chapters are made & everybody runs off  (for the most part) to join their new sisters for a Bid Night celebration.

Even as I write this it can read a little corporate, a little processed & mechanic. Even though I know the purpose & benefits of all of the working parts, I can still see how this experience can be overwhelming to participants, & unnecessary to observers. This is the business side of sorority membership, and it does seem a little impersonal. But somebody who sees only this business side could never truly understand what sorority women are in the business of doing.

Sorority women are in the business of building a stronger womanhood. We are in the business of strengthening identities, challenging values, & encouraging excellence. We are in the business of forming supportive relationships, lifelong friendships & motivational mentorships. We are in the business of connecting women to professional opportunities. We are in the business of demanding equitable educational and professional opportunities for women. We are in the business of protecting & promoting each other. We are in the business of sisterhood.

My sisterhood has been about the business of making me better since I was a barely affiliated woman who couldn't be bothered to attend a chapter meeting or a social event. I was overly committed to the wrong things & barely committed to the right ones. I intentionally alienated myself & rejected sisterhood whenever possible. But they never gave up. They finally pulled me in, gave me the opportunity to do something that mattered, set goals that challenged me, pushed me to academic excellence, and reunited me with values I believe in.  Zeta Tau Alpha was about the business of developing me as a student leader, which in turn inspired me to help other women become leaders & Zeta Tau Alpha has been about the business of my education so that I can achieve that goal.  Zeta is about the business of patiently waiting for me, and letting me go from barely affiliated to strategizing with the National President about ways to empower other chapter members.  Zeta Tau Alpha has been about the business of making me a woman of character & values who believes that college women are valuable, brilliant, capable, talented & worthy members of their campus & the community.

I know that I'm not the only Panhellenic woman who credits her membership for lifelong leadership development & support. But I also know that sometimes observers who only see "the business" side of sorority membership undervalue it. And even though I can appreciate how things can seem that way, I know that the real business of sorority membership is, to inspire other women to be the very best they can be in everything that they do. The thing I do because of ZTA is the business of students, where I get to volunteer my time with some of the most amazing & talented PHA student leaders I've ever met, & watch them support each other, counsel each other, & administer one of the most technically difficult programs on a college campus. I have my sorority sisters & mentors to thank for introducing me to this business & helping me do the same for other women. Thank you ZTA.

Gratefully,
Meggo

Christmas in Chicago...With Some of the Folks From Home

Christmas Eve

showing off our new PJ's

So this year we fully embraced our emerging adulthood & decided to stay in Chicago & celebrate Christmas in the Windy City! We visited a Lutheran church in Wrigleyville for Christmas Eve services, and apparently we attended the "Kids Service" which was a mistake that I won't make again, but the church was really nice & they even had some programming listed in the bulletin that grabbed our attention. I think we may go back there. Anyway, after church we came home to open our annual Christmas eve gift, which is always PJ's. I am a believer in jammies in general, but there's NOTHING better than a brand new pair of pajamas on Christmas eve that you get to lounge around in the whole next day. Coop decided to stay in Chicago for Christmas too, so her Mom sent her PJ's to our house so she'd have some new jammies on Christmas too. We spent the rest of the night baking sugar cookies, drinking wine & watching The Grinch.

GO BEARS!

Sadie's Stocking

Christmas morning Lilah & Sadie woke up EXTRA early (they must have been excited that it was Christmas day!) so we got moving bright & early. We also had our friend Blake's dog Charlie so the puppy energy was at an all time high at Casa Latchford-Morgan. We got my Mom's traditional Christmas morning breakfast right in the oven, set a pot of coffee to brew & opened our stockings. Even the pups got some prizes in their stocking from the man in red. We took a break for brunch & a visit before opening the rest of our presents. We got spoiled rotten again this year from family & friends. Greg was especially excited about his new Bear's shirt that Coop got him...the icing on the cake was the Bears played the Packers on Christmas Day. Sadly, we lost. But Greg looked great!

One of my faves...new slippers!

Merry Christmas from
Santa's Little Helper

After we opened all of our presents Coop & I started on the Christmas feast...and a feast it was. For some reason grocery stores don't see a need to offer a Christmas ham smaller than 8 lbs., so even though there were only 3 of us, and 2/3 of us don't eat meat much, we still had an 8 lb. ham. We had all the rest of the trimmings including Coop's famous brussel sprouts & Aunt Di's Apple Pie recipe, which Greg made for the very first time from SCRATCH! Very impressive. After the feast we watched the Bears game & relaxed. It was perfect.

The next day we got right back to work at the wedding planning (over bloody marys of course) & have been busy looking forward to the adventures of 2012! We're excited for the New Year & are so grateful, as always, for the love & support of friends & family, the privilege of the work we do, our education, every opportunity & of course, each other.

A belated Happy Holidays to all & best wishes for a happy & healthy New Year!

Gratefully,
Meggo

Holiday Planning

It was a bitter sweet decision for Greg & I to agree to stay in Chicago for Christmas this year, but with the wedding coming up we thought it was the smartest decision. Mostly because of the expense (you KNOW we have to fly Lilah & Sadie with us for Christmas. I refuse to celebrate holidays without my "children") but also because if there was ever a year when the timing was right to not go home for Christmas, it's the year before the wedding. Most years after this one it'll be more imperative, but this year, what's imperative is that we be together, & we will be. Ok, moving on...

My sweet neighbor Charlene, who should be solely credited for righting the wrong that was Lilah & Sadie's behavior is approaching her 1st Holiday season as a Chicago resident & since we are also new to our building, we thought it would be a good idea to throw "neighborhood Holiday party" to get to know everybody. This combined with the treat of preparing my first Christmas feast means I'm already planning & organizing. I've scrounged around for all of the coupons I can find & have a pretty good shopping list going which I'm going to STRICTLY adhere to otherwise we'll have to postpone the wedding...Holiday grocery trips can get PRETTY expensive. Shout out to The Project Girl for the best Holiday Menu Planner ever.

Also, since I got a head start on Christmas shopping, all of those little gifties are already on their way to our family & friends which means it's time to start crackin' on the holiday cards. Last year we worked with an Etsy artist who created us a custom stamp for our cards, but this year we're showing some Chicago pride with Cubs cards. So exciting! I'm looking forward to finishing up the holiday cards tonight whilst watching Water for Elephants with my mister. Finally!

That's all from this holiday elf. Hope you're enjoying your holiday planning too!

Merrily,
Meggo

The Bookworm Returneth

Well...I didn't read ANY OF THE BOOKS on The Reading List 2.0 because I had ALL I could say grace over with school...but it's THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN! Time to read for fun...& I only have to take a break from reading for fun 1 more time, because next semester is my LAST SEMESTER!!

Just as soon as I finish my assignments for this semester, I'm going to start reading THEEEESE lovelies...

I'm starting with Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. 'Cause I wanna.
Why Are All the Black Kid Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? Because I wanna. And also because I'm planning on using it for my multicultural counseling class this Spring.
Bossy Pants for a little funny.
A People's History of the United States because I LOVED history class this Fall & I just want to soak up as much history as I can.

The reading lists get less & less ambitious as the semesters go on...My thinker knows better than to bite off too much. So, maybe 4 books over winter break?

still to do...

• The gallery photo wall. I have all of these amazing photos & prints & awesome frames. Sitting in a closet. No bueno. The goal is to have them up by Christmas. 
• Refinish the little chairs & the craigslist table. High gloss grey. CAN'T wait.
• Some lady baby projects...More to come later. 

JUST for clarification...in case anybody follows me on Pinterest & wonders what lady baby I'm talking about...It's baby Frederick, not a baby Morgan. Just want to make sure there's no confusion about that. Check back in a couple years. 

Gotta freshen up the old wine glass & pack the chick lit for tomorrow... It's (almost) Winter Break y'all!

Relieved & ready to read & be refreshed,

Meggo

FMB

Tomorrow my sweet Mama & the rest of my family are celebrating the life of my brilliant, kind, compassionate, funny, patient Grandma, Frances M. Burroughs who left this world and embraced the life eternal after 90 well lived years. Unfortunately I wasn't able to join in the celebration of her life, but I wanted to spend a little time to reflect on how her life changed mine for the better.

My Grandma was the most impossibly beautiful woman. She was always perfectly polished and accessorized. Looking at her was like looking directly at the most beautiful of days gone by. She had the most exquisite things & for her, every day was a reason to get dressed up. I used to play with one of her old "pocket books" where I kept my crayons & coloring books. It was a black velvet handbag with gold closures & a very short gold chain link shoulder strap. Even as a child I remember thinking that bag was the very essence of Grandma.

My Grandma & I were best friends. We had sleepovers all the time. I don't remember where my parents were ever "going to" when I got dropped off at Grandma's, mostly because I was just happy to be at her house. Even though she sold that home when I was little, I still think of that place as hers. I could draw a picture even today of what that house looked like. I have very little memory of the front part of that house, except for a memory I have of the day my Aunt taught me how to spell my Grandma's last name. Other than that, my memories are of the "back" of the house. On our every day visits to my Grandma's, which was located in the backyard of St. Petersburg High School, we always entered through the back door. The back door of course led into the kitchen, which is where the most important "happenings" took place. Although I don't remember the lessons, I do remember that's where I learned what it was like to cook. I watched her closely as she carefully constructed whatever my dinner would be, which was usually hot dogs, mac & cheese & green beans. I remember seeing her open that can of green beans & even though that can looked just like the one I open at my house even to this day, the green beans Grandma made tasted different. No matter how hard I try, I can't get a can of green beans to taste the way hers did. The back of the house was also where her bedroom & my bedroom were. Although she has many grandchildren & at the time of her passing, she was Great Grandma to many sweet little ones, including my genius nieces, she & I had a special friendship. I was the only Grandchild that lived in Florida with her, so I got her undivided attention on a regular basis. My bedroom at her house was just the back room. My bed was a twin sized pull out couch & when it was all made up it was covered with Raggedy Anne & Andy bedding. I remember feeling safe there, and like that was exactly where I belonged. My parents might not have actually gone any where, but I had gone to Grandma's & that was very special to me.

My Grandma listened to every word I said. I used to complain to her about my Mom & at the time I wasn't aware that she wasn't just my Grandma, she was also the mother of the woman I was complaining about. But Grandma never let on that it bothered her. She patiently listened & she'd offer a lifetime of encouragement, feedback & "coping mechanisms" for how to understand my Mom, who at the time was very confusing to me. She nudged me gently in the right direction, but once I reached the destination she had in mind, she always let me believe it had been my idea all along.

My Grandma picked me up from school & took me to all of my activities. I remember riding in her car when the residents of South St. Pete were rioting over police brutality. When I think about that now I think about how frightened she must have been, but also how committed she must have felt to get her grandchild out of harm's way & how even then I wasn't afraid because I was with her. She picked me up from school even into high school. In fact I got my driver's license at the end of Sophomore year of high school & I didn't drive 1 day that year. Even though I was qualified to operate a car in Florida, I still let her pick me up. I don't know why, but I think it was out of a sense of duty or vocation. Taking care of me & making sure I was ok was her calling, & because I knew that job filled her cup,  I think I let her do it even after there wasn't a real need.

That's the thing about My Grandma. She was exceptional at a lot of things that were totally unrelated to me, or my brother, her other grandchildren, or even her children, but she made it her business to make sure we were ok, no matter what. Even in the last few years of her life, when the love of mine came along, she made it her business to ensure that he would be a part of our family forever. She didn't remember much those days, but she never forgot that he'd promised her we'd get married. And we're keeping that promise, just a few short months from now.

I could never express my gratitude for having known & been educated by a lady like Frances Burroughs. She was the picture of polish, patience & love. I can only say that if I do my very best, & I'm careful to honor her memory, I'll be half the woman she was.



Gratefully,
Frances' Grandaughter

Are those sleigh bells I hear?

I am a celebrator of Christmas. When I was young I was excited because I knew I'd get gifts. NOW I'm excited because I get to GIVE gifts. I've got the annual Christmas Gift Excel sheet going & that thing's already 2/3 full. In fact...3 packages were delivered to my office today, full of Christmas gifts for family & friends. Oooh I just LOVE IT!

Speaking of sleigh bells...although this doesn't exactly qualify as a "Christmas gift", Greg kindly replaced my much loved digital camera after it met it's untimely end on the Wacker street bridge, downtown Chicago the day AFTER my bachelorette party. I had begun to think about transitioning that camera into the "trip" camera & was thinking of upgrading us sometime in the next 6 months, but one of my greatest loves is to take photos of the people & puppies I love, & sweet Greg knew I couldn't live without another camera. So today he got us a knew one! Just in time for Gypsy Thanksgiving 2.0! 

Finally, even though there's still 3 weeks to go of this semester, I really can't think of a BETTER Christmas gift than some serious free time with my Mister & the Chicago residents we love. All of this premature holiday cheer is really getting me in the mood to get AHEAD of my homework & push through to the end of the semester. 

Heeeeeere GOES! 

Cheerfully,

Meggo

P.S. - No matter how excited I am about the Holidays I will not embrace or participate in any kind of Holiday decorating until the day after Thanksgiving. Just sayin'.