Dash’s New Toy

After having had this blog for almost a year now, I am starting to find my way around a little more easily.


I took this video of Dash on my phone a couple of days ago and sent it via video message to all my family that I knew could receive that type of message. Now, thanks to technology, I have discovered how to post it on here for even more people to see and enjoy….


Dash recently discovered the door stopper behind ALL of our doors in the apartmment (ie. the bathroom, the closet, and the bedroom). He isn’t a big fan of them. Here I caught him in action… Ok, Ok. So he was provoked, but still… this is his reaction. He is one silly dog!







In other “news,” the end of the four (unexpected) day weekend, is upon us. It’s back to school tomorrow… for our FIRST full week of classes since we came back January 11th, 2010. It feels like we are already well underway in the semester so it’s hard to believe it is only the start of week 4.


Today was spent as any usual Sunday is in for us… Laundry, errands and homework…. Last night (after finishing all of my reading for the week), Tyler and I decided to have a Harry Potter Movie Marathon. I made it half way through the first one and fell asleep. Needless to say, during our errands today we picked up the sixth (and newest released HP movie) at Target, and skipped movies 2-5 🙂 Oh well…. I still enjoyed seeing the sixth movie again (and finally owning it)!


Watching the movie has rekindled my love for HP and I plan on rereading the books as soon as I get a chance. The anticipation for November 2010 and July 2011 is mounting! (Those are the release dates for the 7th and 8th movies!) Not to mention, our DVD of HP6 had a sneak peak of “The Wizardy World of Harry Potter” the new theme park in Orlando, FL. set to open in 2010! I am SO excited now! (I have “unofficially” decided this will be a stop on Tyler and I’s honeymoon… because presumably we will be married AFTER it opens… so PERFECT!!!) 😉


Well, it’s back to homework and getting geared up for the coming week…


Until Next Time,
~*~Megan~*~

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It’s A Winter Wonderland!

Here are the promised pictures! Sorry for the bad quality… My white balance was set to fluorescent and I didn’t realize it until after I had taken them already….

*View from Inside My Car*

*Tyler Cleaning Off My Car*

*Tree Covered in Ice*

* Stairs Covered in Snow*

*Snow on Top of My Car*

*Path to the Mailbox*

*Chunk of Ice from the Hood of my Car*

*Dash’s Snow Adventure*

*Dash Wants to go Inside!*

*Cars in Front of the Apartment*

*My Car Covered in Snow*

*Entrance to the Apartment*

I didn’t have to teach this morning because of the road conditions but Tyler and I decided to clean off my car anyways so we would have better luck getting to the laundry mat tomorrow…. Some neighbors said the roads aren’t too bad, just slushy… so I think we are going to try and brave them tomorrow. As for today… just staying inside, maybe getting some homework done and enjoying my unexpected long weekend!

Until Next Time,

~*~Megan~*~

Ice Storm 2010

It finally made it! Ice Storm of 2010! They have been preparing us for weeks now and it finally hit! I only had my Jazz Class yesterday and then the University closed at 12pm. They also closed the University for today (Friday) as well. So… an unexpected 4 day weekend!!! 🙂

Nothing too big planned… I finished a paper when I got home yesterday. Then kept an eye on the weather happenings, took a nap, cooked dinner with Tyler and watched a couple of movies. Today (luckily we have power), will probably be very similar! Tyler is off work today too because of the ice… and the snow hasn’t even started falling yet!

I guess I should be productive this weekend… but… that just doesn’t sound like fun… so maybe tomorrow? 😉 No, I will be a good girl and I will get things done… Promise. But for now? Just staying warm, cozy and relaxing! That sounds like the best plan! 🙂

Until Next Time,
~*~Megan~*~

P.S. I’ll try to venture out in the cold later and get some pictures of our Ice Storm 2010! 🙂

Spring Semester Week #2

*WARNING…. THIS IS A VERY BORING POST! READER’S BEWARE!*

Week two has now come, and gone… This semester’s schedule is MUCH easier to adapt to so it hasn’t been too bad… I am having to do A LOT of pre-planning since I’m teaching so much and most of my classes and teaching are back to back so everything has to happen ahead of time… a good test of time management for me though huh?

This week was only a 4 day week so that was nice. It certainly helped me get into the swing of things again.

Tuesday we finished our Jazz Leveling process so we didn’t dance too much, but my classes were normal other than that… and I taught from 4:15-8pm.

Wednesday we started in our Tap Classes… mine is SO small… there are only 14 people in there! (That’ll be nice though). We had our first section of our Dance Studio Management Project due which included our Mission Statement and Business Plan! That’s kind of scary and exciting! Then I worked in the Community Dance Center (CDC), first teaching then in the office.

Thursday we broke into our Jazz Classes… it’s SO nice to be back in Jazz this semester! I also had my FIRST Graduate Paper due! Yikes! I don’t think it was very good but we’ll see.. it was the first one… it can hopefully only get better from there! I also got to babysit my girls Doran and Drew that I watch during the summer! They were SO excited to see me… as was I! They are just TOO sweet! And I can’t believe they are now almost 8 and 6! I met them when they were around 5 and 3 years old! Drew (the youngest) is having her Piano Recital today! I wish I could have made it but it just didn’t work out… she did play her song for me on Thursday though! So sweet! And next week I’ll hopefully get to see Doran at her Basketball practice when I go babysit them next week!!! 🙂

Friday classes as normal. Assisting in the CDC for my Jazz Pedagogy Class.. I’m working with the 7-9 year olds and they are SUCH a great group of girls! So fun and well-mannered! 🙂 Then we had our CDC Staff Meeting. After that I went to dinner with Elizabeth and Katy! So fun to catch up.. although we were all just exhausted!!!

Saturday I taught my Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet classes at Classical Ballet School (Yes, now I’m teaching at 3 different studios…. EVERY WEEK)! Then I went with Ellen, my Student’s of Arts Management President to look at our LOCATION FOR BANQUET!!! We have finally started getting some details squared away! (Long story-short: We had to let go of our original plan and create a plan B… we are now in the process of getting things rolling forward.) Then I came home and did NOT feel like doing any homework so I watched TV with Tyler (Lethal Weapons 3,2 and part of 1- in that order… on TV… weird!) Then we decided to go to Red Lobster for dinner! Yum!

Today (Sunday)… we got up and did laundry and it’s a good thing we went when we did (and know the laundry lady) because they were having some plumbing problems and were closing down the laundry mat until tomorrow to fix it.. but we were able to get in JUST in time… The rest of the day has been spent doing chores, organizing and checking things off my To-Do list! At 6pm I have my Students of Arts Management EXEC meeting, where I’ll get to share the good news about our progress! 🙂 The rest of the day is for homework and football! 🙂 I do need to go to JCPenny at some point…. After my recent “shopping spree” I realized I had managed to make it home with a sweater and the “security ink tag” still on it… 😦 Luckily I have the receipt still… I just haven’t mustered up the energy to go yet…

Next week is looking just as busy… 🙂 It will be the FIRST FULL FULL week of the semester with all my teaching requirements and classes… I might be pretty exhausted come next Friday night! 🙂

I’m sorry this post was not so exciting… just a “normal” week in the life of a college student… School, Homework, Work and SLEEP! 🙂

Until Next Time,
~*~Megan~*~

P.S. Today is Tyler and I’s 4 Year and 4 Month Anniversary! 🙂 Not planning to do anything special unless you count Red Lobster last night…. 🙂

Desk Day-Dreaming

As I mentioned yesterday, I planned on being productive today… and I have been! I have done all of my reading assignments for the WHOLE week! Now, I just need to work on the written assignments that are due. But I’m having a problem…

In our tiny, 600 square foot apartment, that we have grotesquely outgrown… I am having growing pains in my homework area. Our living room is slightly cramped. By slightly, I mean OVERLY cramped. We have 3 bookshelves (on one wall) our TV and two night stand/organizers, all on the same wall. Against one of the nightstands and bookshelves we have pushed our coffee table which doesn’t suit our needs or the shape of our living room very well.. it’s square and our living room is much more rectangular. The coffee table serves the sole purpose of holding our unorganized belongings and mail collections. Next to the coffee table we have a box that is as long as the table that holds the surround sound speakers Tyler got for his 21st Birthday that didn’t come with a connection device… alas, we cannot use them… :(. One wall is our “back door.” However, we HAVE managed to find a way to push things up against it as well… our Guitar Hero drum set (sandwiched between the door, a bookshelf and our coffee table), and my “school area” crosses into its path as well. Next to the door, is my “school area” with an old TV stand that fits into the corner “perfectly.” Next you will find our futon that was previously Tyler’s bed all through high school (I’ll get to this in a minute), filled with TOO many blankets that we have accumulated over the years (we have enough to cover all “available” areas of the couch AND it is what takes up space under our bed)! Besides the couch is our shoe rack, then the front door. Circling around the living room, at this point you will reach our dinning room and kitchen “nook,” but the wall that completes the living room houses our humidifier, a floor fan, Dash’s box, and some old electronics that we haven’t gotten rid of yet and some pictures we have yet to hang (did I mention we have TONS of pictures covering the walls too, so we don’t have enough room to hang one more?).

PHEW! So… As of now, I sit on the couch closest to my “school area” and pull up my little table (sometimes) and do my homework. Or I put my laptop on a pillow (my version of a lap desk) and do my various duties (method for writing this post)! Tyler is curled up (well, actually stretched out) on the other end of the couch reading. He is 6’2″ (ish), so he can’t exactly “curl up.” AND don’t forget the dog! Although small, he requires space too! (And this is all just in our living room!!!!) Also, our couch (as I mentioned earlier- previously Tyler’s bed) is sinking in at the point where the seat meets the back support, so it is next to IMPOSSIBLE to sit without “rolling” and “sinking” into the couch… and I’m only 5’3″ so I can’t even think about my feet touching the ground. Nevertheless, it is not conducive to sitting in an active manner… it is much more geared toward a relaxing and sleeping position.

Alas, my growing pains of 1) a bigger apartment, 2) a better couch and 3) a nice, organized desk area for school. So, here are some pictures of my current day dreaming subject… my nice organized “school area”…

*Photo Courtesy of: unplggd.com*

*Photo Courtesy of: furniture-for-small-spaces.com*

*Photo Courtesy of: apartmenttherapy.com*

*Photo Courtesy of: unplggd.com*

Until Next Time,

~*~Megan~*~

Leap ‘N Learn

The first week of school has come and gone. Exciting it was! And busy too! (That’s nothing new though!)

The first weekend of school was also busy and filled with more learning. The dance department brought in the Leap ‘N Learn Workshop for us to learn all about a wonderful way of teaching dance to the little ones! The workshop was Friday from 4:15-8:15pm; Saturday from 9am-5:30pm followed by dinner; and Sunday from 10-2:30pm… PHEW! But it was SO helpful and informative!

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending this workshop in the summer of 2007 by my Ballet teacher, my mentor and my boss Ms. Kay Sandel. She sent me to the workshop in Louisiana to help get me started in teaching my Pre-Ballet classes.

* Beverly Spell and I in Louisiana at the Leap ‘N Learn Workshop Summer 2007 *

So why would I want to hear the same information again? And seemingly “waste” my weekend? I see it the COMPLETE opposite way! First, the information wasn’t EXACTLY the same AND having now had 3 years of teaching the Pre-Ballet classes under my belt, I have been given fresh new ideas and ways of incorporating these wonderful and helpful principles! Leap ‘N Learn is based on the cognitive and physical developments of children 3-6 years old. It specializes in classroom management and discipline. All things young, inexperienced, and even some experienced teachers, need help with.

Now, I have a list of “goals” that I will slowly try and incorporate into my teaching plans. This weekend has provided me with some “twists” and additions to my already successful teaching plans. As a young teacher, finding out I would teach the younger children, it was a bit overwhelming. I mean, I LOVE little children, but I didn’t necessarily know what to do with them. However, with the help of Leap ‘N Learn, my boss Ms. Kay, my own experiences and my education at OCU, I have found a niche in teaching these little ones; these little bundles of joy. They really are the light in my life. I am so glad that I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to share my love for dance with the little ones, who have such a zest and joy for life. It is such a WONDERFUL experience!

So… a wasted weekend you ask? A “redundancy” of information? Absolutely not! Not to mention we are blessed with a Monday off of school because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! 🙂 I plan to be SUPER productive in getting to the homework I didn’t do this weekend! 🙂

Until Next Time,
~*~Megan~*~

Sir Dashington Clark

*Dash helping Tyler and I cook and clean up spilled water.*

*Dash’s new hiding place… the cupboard where we put the trashcan 🙂 *

*”I see you!” 🙂 Isn’t he precious?*

These are some pictures I snapped last night while doing some chores in the kitchen… Silly dog. 🙂 He is SUCH a sweetie and I love this little guy SO very much! He is certainly my baby. He is a Momma’s Boy without a doubt! He LOVES to cuddle with me and gets VERY anxious when I’m not sitting still enough for him to do so. He stands under my feet while I do my make-up in the morning and while we are cooking. He is TERRIFIED of the steam and smoke that sometimes occurs from cooking. He can be super skittish with strange, loud noises that occur around an apartment complex… i.e. the refrigerator creaks, the upstairs kids run too loudly, the leaf blowers pass by, and sometimes for no reason at all. Tonight, he was afraid of his own toy basket. 🙂 He also VERY much dislikes the vacuum cleaner and the DVD tray. BUT… he IS a VERY cuddly, sweet, affectionate dog. He LOVES to give kisses and he LOVES to be right in Tyler and I’s faces, ALL the time! He LOVES the attention. He is SPOILED ROTTEN but SUCH a sweetie! Although Dachshunds have been given bad reputations of being stubborn and aggressive, that is the COMPLETE opposite of Dash (except when he is playing with his favorite toys). He is a VERY well-behaved dog. He lets us know when he needs to go outside by clanking his lease against the door; He sits quietly in his box until you open it for him… he understands “Go to Bed” perfectly! He CONSTANTLY wags his tail and we have “Welcome Home” rituals for all of the scenarios of us returning, i.e. taking him out of his box, Tyler coming home, Me coming home- and EVERYDAY it’s the same. He loves to sleep under the blankets, right next to you and is a very nice little heater!

Basically, I LOVE this little dog more than I could EVER have imagined (and I’m a dog person too)! Even though he had a rough start to life, filled with trauma and more doctors visits than I think I’ve had in my entire life… he will forever and always be my baby… my “Little Dashy!” 🙂

Until Next Time,

~*~Megan~*~