other times, it’s a bad thing.  when you feel that you are fading away and not a single person acknowledges it.

and then there are the comic books, with invisibility being a super power.

with these images, i tried to capture the different feelings of being invisible: becoming apart of your surroundings, fading away, and just being rad.

uncomfortable chairs.  stacks of old, non interesting magazines.  hushed conversations.  the one annoying loud talker.  bad coffee.  people moving…in the door, to the waiting room, summoned to the rooms beyond, back to the waiting room, out the door.

i went there for support.  my mom had to have a minor out-patient surgery.  she insisted i didn’t need to go…like she really had a choice.  mom in surgery?  you best believe i was going to be there.  i had to see with my own 2 eyes that she was ok.  and i had to report back to the other Blondes that i saw with my own 2 eyes that she was indeed ok.

we were the first ones there at 7:30am and proceeded to camp out in the prime location.  2nd row from the receptionist’s desk (and the magical door next to it).  there were some weird recliner type chairs & we totally snagged them.  i held down the fort when she had to go back.  and each time, the newcomers would give me the evil eye…for i clearly wasn’t sick.  i clearly didn’t need the recliner or the prime location.  but my mom did.  and i stared them down as they approached her vacant chair.

there were several different waves of people that came into the waiting room.  my favorite was the old man with this awesome cane.  he sung to his wife the 30 minutes they were there.  the most annoying was this real estate agent who was there with his father.  seriously, he needed to go outside for his phone conversations.  i didn’t give a rat’s ass about the 1,400 sq ft starter home he wanted to show his client…but at the volume he insisted on talking at, it was hard not to.  the most heartbreaking was the little old lady with a giant bandage on her nose.  she shuffled between the rows and whispered “oh, this is the walk of fame”.  no one was there with her, and i really wanted to ask her to sit by me.

i tried to nap.  i tried to read.  i caught up on the back issues of Glamour.  i tried to distract myself from being worried.  for 4 hours.  and you know what?  the recliner chairs…even though they looked like the better option…not all that comfortable, my friends.

on the drive home, the sunset was amazing (as only an Oklahoma sunset can be).  i thought i’d share my aimless road trip sunset with you…

and here’s the playlist that i was listening to at a loud volume…

1. blue jeans {lana del rey}
2. hero knows {we have band}
3. feel it all around {washed out}
4. young americans {david bowie}
5. john, i’m only dancing {david bowie}
6. sledgehammer {peter gabriel}
7. 1940 (AmpLive Remix) {The Submarines}
8. nightcall {kavinsky & lovefoxxx}
9. booty bounce {dev}
10. ni**as in paris {kanye west & jay z}
11. gotta have it {kanye west & jay z}
12. divisive {we have band}
13. reset {mutemath}
14. born to die {lana del rey}

i tell Aa goodnight, then i look at Mr Bix and ask him “wanna go to bed?”  his response is to run up the stairs & jump onto my bed.  from there, it’s brush my teeth & wash my face.  finally, i climb into bed and read for at least 30 minutes while Bix curls up & enjoys his chew bone.

it’s that perfect, quiet little moment where all of the excitement, stress, and whatnot of the day just melt away.

as i mentioned in last week’s post, Aa found this website with pretty rad ideas for creative writing.  and while i can string a few sentences together here & there, it’s mostly in the forms of long winded, random rambles.  hello blog.  however, photography is my artistic love.  so, why not try to do all of them in photo form?

so here’s the list of 58 ideas that i am going to somehow translate into photographs…

1. night-time
2. a particular color
3. being underwater
4. a person whose life you’re curious about
5. your mother’s perfume
6. falling asleep or waking up
7. growing older
8. the feeling of getting lost in a book
9. how to know if you’re in love
10. a bad dream
11. a ghost
12. your city, town, or neighborhood
13. an important life choice you’ve made
14. spring, summer, fall or winter
15. something most people see as ugly, but which you see as beautiful
16. jealousy
17. becoming a parent
18. an event that changed you
19. a place you visited — how you imagined it beforehand, and what it was actually like
20. the ocean
21. forgetting
22. the speed of light
23. a voodoo doll
24. reflections on a window
25. a newspaper headline
26. your greatest fear
27. your grandmother’s hand
28. a particular toy you had as a child
29. being invisible
30. a time you felt homesick
31. having an affair, or discovering your partner is having one
32. birthdays
33. reflections on a window
34. a favorite food & a specific memory of eating it
35. an imaginary city
36. driving with the radio on
37. life in an aquarium
38. dancing
39. walking with your eyes closed
40. time travel
41. brothers or sisters
42. your job, or a job you’ve had
43. weddings
44. leaving home
45. camping
46. a zoo
47. a historical event from the perspective of someone who saw it first hand
48. holding your breath
49. intimacy and privacy
50. a time you were tempted to do something you feel is wrong
51. physical attraction to someone
52. a superstition you have
53. someone you admire
54. the taste of: an egg, an orange, medicine, cinnamon
55. the smell of: burning food, melting snow, the ocean, your grandparents’ home, the inside of a bus, pavement after the rain
56. the sound of: a radio changing channels, a dog howling, a football or baseball game, your parents talking in another room
57. the sight of: lit windows in a house when you’re standing outside at night, someone you love when he or she doesn’t know you’re watching, a dying plant, shadows on snow
58. the feeling of: grass under bare feet, a really bad kiss, the head rush when you stand up too fast, sore muscles, falling asleep in the back seat of a moving car

some of these will be easy, some of these will be difficult…either way…challenge accepted!!!

and just because Mr. Bix is just so gosh darn cute…

just love that little face of his!

so, naturally, the first post of the new year must be about resolutions.  new year’s resolutions to be exact.

instead of the normal “lose weight, drink less, be healthier” resolutions (which i am going to actually do this year dammit!), i want to think outside of the box a little.  mix it up a bit.  and if i post them to the world-wide web, maybe i’ll follow through.  so without further ado… ladies and gentlemen, i present to you my 2012 new year’s resolutions:

1) photo challenge

oooo, you know i love a good challenge!  Aa found a pretty neat-o creative writing challenge of 60 “inspiration” ideas.  so i thought to myself, “hey, self!  you could toooootes do that with photography!!”  and self replied, “you bet your ass i could!”  so yes.  i will take on this challenge.  i’ll post the specifics later on.

2) stress less

i tend to fixate on things, over analyze, dwell, and then stress out about tiny and unimportant details…shocker, i know.  this year, i will not do so.  i will really be a “go with the flow” person…instead of just pretending to be one while i internally freak out.  it will be difficult, but hopefully i can do this.

3) do more

more happy things.  more fun things.  more challenging things.  more blogging.  more non-shopping-related things for myself.  more just-because-i-was-thinking-of-you things for my friends.  more good things for the world in general. 

4) take pictures, just because i want to

not gonna lie, i have a rad camera.  and i have the photo editing tools just a click away on my computer.  but do i ever take pics of the good times when i’m out & about town?  nope.  and, on the rare occasion that i do, what do i use?  my phone’s camera.  that is lame.  i need to just take my camera with me (in a very protected, not gonna break it way, natch.) and just. take. fun. pictures.

so there you have it.  my 2012 list o’ resolutions.  it’s going to be a great year, friends.  a great year indeed.

and just because i thought this was rad…

totes.

each wedding has been unique, has been special, has shown the beauty that Love brings to the world.  and i was able to witness it.  to capture it through the lens of my camera and save that moment for a rainy day.

on saturday, as i was hanging out around the perimeter & snapping pics of the ceremony, it really hit me.  man, i am lucky.  i am so freakin lucky.  i have such amazing people in my life.  my family, my friends, my acquaintances…they make my life better.  they make me a better person. 

yeah, life is sometimes prickly.  and things don’t and won’t always go my way.  there are times when i come home to a waterfall in my kitchen or Mr Bix decides to puke on my neck while i’m sleeping.  but at the end of the day, who really cares??  these instances, while annoying, are not what matter.

the people in my life are what matter.  and geez louise, i am the luckiest Meredith in the world.

i was about 8 yrs old & had my first optometrist appointment.  i was sitting in the chair with that crazy eye measuring contraption, staring at the letters on the board and willing my eyes to need glasses. 

which looks better....one, or two...

i even lied.  just a little.  not too much, i just said “two” when i should’ve said “one”.  i mean, i really Really REALLY wanted glasses.  only problem was, my eye doctor is kinda related to me.  he called me on my eye bluff.  “well, meredith, there were a few inconsistencies, but the good news is your vision is perfect.  you don’t need glasses.”

foiled!  while most people would be rejoicing, my little 8 yr old heart was heavy.  no glasses.  none for me.  curse these perfect 20/20 hazel eyes!  i passed by the display cases of glasses, longingly picked up a pair & tried them on.  “are you sure?  like really sure?”  i asked hopefully.  “yep, i’m sure.  you’re eyes look great.”

great.

see, i have a love for glasses.  they transform you.  depending on the frames, you can be “smart and studious”, or “artistic and quirky”, or “sophisticated and mysterious”.  it’s like a costume for your eyes.  they are the most brilliant of accessories.  and that really speaks to my theatrical side.

*side note: at this time, i also really wanted braces.  not as much as i wanted glasses, but a close 2nd.  yes, 8 yr old meredith wanted to be a uber dork.

this girl had everything i wanted.

yeah.  def didn’t need all that.  i was…ok, still am…spazzy enough on my own without the help of vision and orthodontic correction.

ok, back  to the future.  ish.  last week i tried on Monkey’s glasses and i. fell. in. love.  dear baby jesus, i needed these magical glasses.  my life would be more complete with a pair o them on my face.  greens would be greener, i would be instantly more organized, i would know calculus AND how to apply it in real life, and my cooking skills would vastly improve if i had these glasses.

i called up the eye doctor and made an appointment the next day.  and this time, i think i actually had a shot of needing glasses.  i ain’t as young as i used to be…i stare at computers all day long…and i read every night for at least an hour.  all of that surely is a recipe for poor eye sight that can only be cured by a pair of rocktastic glasses, right?!?

3 days later, it was the day.  the day for checking of vision. 

i sat in the chair, i did the “which one looks better, one or two?  two or three?” had some lights shined in my eye (it is freaky when i can see the capillaries in my retina) and had numbing eye drops so they could check my eye pressure (yeah, totes not a fan of that feeling.)  finally, the tests were over, and i asked the tentative “soooooo, do i get to have glasses?” 

rays of sunshine, birds chirping, all that good stuff

yep…i sure do get to have glasses!  huzzah!  i finally got to go to the magical wall of glasses and pick out a pair of my very own! 

with a huge smile on my face, i sat in the chair and talked with the lady that fits the glasses.  “so, what style would you like to get?”  yeesh…where to start?  i want a pair that is fun & quirky, classic & cool, edgy yet sophisticated.  after trying on a few, i found a pair that i liked.  but, see, i only really need them for reading & computer time.  the pair we had picked out were nice, in a ‘i wear these everyday’ kinda way.  but they weren’t quite right.  then, i caught a glimpse of them.  the glasses.  my glasses.  the ‘i know how to do smart kid stuff, but i’m still hip & cool…but not too cool that i think i’m a hipster’ glasses.

after 20 years of waiting for glasses…and a week for having them made…i officially have my dream glasses.  they are the jam.  and although i don’t really need to wear them all the time, i have a feeling that i will.  for at least the first few weeks or so.  ladies & gentlemen of the readership, here they are…

yeah, the pic is a little myspace-esque. but whatevs. these glasses are the bees knees.

kiiiinda wish i had worn my hair down today for this epic moment…but, well, i hit the snooze button a few times & had to do the mad-dash-around-the-room get ready.  however even with a pony tail, they are rad.  i will name these glasses Penelope.  Penny for short.

ok, ok, ok…you caught me.  i haven’t been 100% to-the-facts with this.  i actually got reading glasses 4 yrs ago.  but they were not as cool as these ones are.  and it makes the story a little less dramatic when i say “oh yeah, i got to pick out some ok glasses 4 years ago but i never wear them because my temple is really wide & i feel like they pinch my brain”.  see?  not nearly as good.  the other version is better.  so can ya give me brownie points for being honest but sorta forget this part so the story is better?  cuz that’d be swell.  you’re the best, a real gem.

either way, long version or short,  i have glasses now.  me & my 8 yr old self are finally bespectacled.  and it is awesome, my friends.  really awesome.

no, not you Blink 182...

yeesh.

i mean, i know people say that time goes by faster when you get older.  but i’m only 28.  i don’t consider that old.  i consider that awesome.  guess time flies when you’re awesome and having fun, right?  right.

sooooo…let’s do a whirlwind recap on the past 2 months complete with photos…readysetgo…

1. i finally cleaned my garage.  that was literally a hot mess.  but it’s beautimus and now holds 2 cars.
   

   so it's not prestine...but it's a whole lot better. trust.

2. i turned 28.  which was really grand.  KK tried to throw me a surprise party, but i was being a brat and wouldn’t commit to going out for a night.  so i messed that one up.  dangit.  i’ve always wanted a surprise party too!  but i did make my friend Angry Santa let me share his bday party.  and the Porch Mice (an awesome band that my friend is in) played.  they gave me a shout out, but i missed it because i didn’t know that they had started playing & was hiding in the back room soaking up the air conditioning.  woopsie.  but their set was rocktastic, and there was tons of hanging out with friends, and many a pimm’s cup was consumed by yours truly.  so def a good bday in my book.
3. i went to bermuda with the fam.  yes kids, be jealous.  cuz i am totes pulling the “i went to bermuda” dance right now.
   

   hooray!

    

4. i have a fantabulous new roomie.  we’ll call him Aa.  so now it is no longer casa de Meredith…it’s casa de Aarodith.  it is the bees knees of casas.
   

   a super old pic of us, but we still look this amazing.

    having Aa as a roomate is the jam.  he’s hilarious.  he can beatbox like a freakin champ.  he’s thoughtful.  he loves my monster puppy & has given him a new middle name.  he has great style.  he has great music taste.  he listens to me when i whine and either gives me stellar advise or tells me to suck it up & be an adult when i need to be.  he likes to do the chores that i don’t like to do (and i like to do the chores he doesn’t).  he’ll wax poetically about the great music videos of the 90′s.  we have dance parties.  we abusively abbreviate words.  we watch 1G5Gs together every night.  really, the only problem is that i stay up way to late because we’re hanging out & having a blast.  so, yeah, other than sleep deprivation, i’d say that it is fantastico.

5. speaking of clean garages & new roomie…the ole hacienda got a face lift as well.  although i loved my old home decor, i’ve had it that way for 6+ years.  so i decided new roommate deserves a new vibe to the house.  something breezy with a dash of bright.  and random things that are awesome.  so headed over to our local hardware store, bought a crap ton of paint, and had a painting party.  new curtains, new chandelier, new vibe.  i like to call it beach glam.  although there is not a beach in sight.  but whatevs.  i won’t let that tiny detail hold me back.  we painted a stone dog statue lime green.  i folded a billion paper cranes & made flowers out of magazines.  and (get ready for my moment of pride) we developed 23 of my photos to create  a photo-explosion wall.  i can’t decide on a favorite new item.  i love them all.  and i love that i got to decorate it with Aa.  he didn’t run screaming when i unleashed what i like to call “project meredith”.  she is a detail oriented, slightly obsessive freak.  here’s a peek at some of the stuff we repainted…
   

   don't be scurrred...the rest of my house i kept really neutral

    

6. visitors are awesome.  i’ve had a few friends pop into town, and i love that.  Noodle came into town 2 weeks ago, and Annie Bee is coming into town tomorrow.  these are things that make my heart happy.  great friends and great times.

so yes.  that is all that i’ve been up to.  you know, besides the normal work work work and whatnot.  gotta love it.  oh!  and i’m getting new reading glasses.  which is super freakin rad.  because i love glasses.  if i could, i would have a million pairs of them.  unfortunately i don’t need them too much.  only when i’m staring at a computer (which is a lot) or reading (which i do that too).  but, you know, i just might rock ‘em when i don’t really need them.  that’s how i roll.  living on the edge.

final thing, and then i swear i’m signing off for now & will return again.  dude, have you noticed the weather lately?  it’s like fall is here.  kinda.  i checked out my weather app & the rest of the week is under 100 degrees.  fall…soups…sweaters…boots…scarves…new glasses…oh my, i’m about to have a full on overload of wonderfulness! 

it's fall! jump for joy!!

 until next time…stay classy my friends.

here in a month, something really exciting is happenin at the Casa de Merry.  one of the coolest people i know is going to become my roommate.  he’s awesome, hilarious, and one of my bestest friends.

that’s not the embarrassing thing though.  that is the radness that is going to happen in august.

the state my spare bedroom (which will become his bedroom) is the embarrassing part.  uber embarrassing.  the uberest of embarrassment.  kids, it’s what i like to call my “hoarder room of doom”.  and normally, no one is allowed in there.  ever.  unless you’re loydikins or rhondie.  other than that, it’s off-limits.  when giving the “home tour”, if you attempt to open that door, i will fling myself towards it and say in a high-pitched squeaky voice “don’t open that door! ”

don't go in there! oh the horror!!!!

yes.  it is that bad. 

there is clean laundry waiting to be folded.  piles of clothes that need to be laundered.  a closet crammed full of old clothes that i haven’t worn in years but somehow cannot bear to part with.  boxes of stuff that hasn’t yet found a home.  completed & partially completed costumes and projects.  there are random books.  random shoes.  random vacuum cleaners.  it is where i dump things when “oh shit, so-and-so is coming in 10 minutes…i gotta keep up the pretense that i have a organized-ish home…i’ll just put XYZ in here for now”.  and then that is where XYZ will live for the next 3 years.

*sigh*

kids, i wish i was exaggerating.  but sadly, i’m not.  this one room is just pure chaos.  not just the normal organized chaos of my life.  pure effing chaos.

in preparation for the Great Move-in (yes, it needs caps because it’s going to be GREAT!), i knew there was one main thing i needed to do.  i needed to clean. that. room.  eek!

but i’m weak.  i would want to keep everything.  and, honestly, the task was so massive that i needed help.  lots and lots of help.  and someone who is a tidy & organized individual that would give me the honest to goodness words of “you don’t need to keep that” and not let me BS my way into hanging on to it for another year or 10.

enter Allison.  she is all of the above, and super rad too.

with her help, and the help of many a glad bag, i was able to whip both the closet AND the hoarder room of doom into shape.  what’s nicest about the lovely miss Allison is that she did not mock or gasp too much when i first opened the door that is never opened.  she did say something to the effect of “oh my”, but nothing like “holy bananas, are you effing kidding me?  you’re on your own freakazoid, i’m out” and run for the hills.  nope, she is an organizational trooper.  a warrior of sorting.  a princess of de-clutter.

really, the best part of everything (other than hanging out with Allison, of course) was digging through drawers long forgotten and finding some shirt loooong forgotten.  i found a belt that i’ve been trying to find for  years.  and a few dresses i thought had gone to the great closet in the sky.  but bestest of all, there were some really awesome fashion statements i was making circa 1999.  and yes, i still had outfits from the 90′s.  in fact, a several freaking drawers full of some seriously baaaaaaad outfits from the 90′s…some of them looked very much like this…

whateeeeever...you know you loved these outfits

 but you’d be very proud of me.  i did let go & put them in the “goodwill” pile, because let’s be honest, no resell shop worth their salt was going to accept a backless pale pink crop top made of terry-cloth.  i set very strict rules for what i was allowed to keep & what would either be donated or resold.  for instance, if i haven’t worn it in over a year & 1/2, then it was doneski.  i only had to be scolded a few times for clutching a shirt and muttering some comment like “buuuut, i wore this to my first day of college and it was such an amazing day with rainbows and majestic unicorns frolicking in the UMC.  i can’t possibly give it away!!”

cut to 12 hours, 8 bags of trash, 8 bags of goodwill, and 5 bags clothes to resell later.  my closet is beautiful.  shoes are organized & have their own little home.  all of my clothes are grouped together by article AND color.  it is truly a sight to behold.  it is beautiful.  radiant.  glorious.

seriously fantastic

and the hoarder room of doom?  who knew there was really a floor in there?  well, there is.  and it is now visible.

ok, so other than the rando vacuum cleaner that needs to go and the furniture that needs to go to storage, this room is ready to rock n roll!

all i have left to do in preparation for my new roomie is to clean out the garage.

but that is a story (and a chore) for another day.  it is effin hot here in oklahoma & i have a pre-4th of july beer pong palooza party to get to.  keep your fingers crossed that KK & I win the tournament (like the champions we are) and have a happy 4th of july kiddos.