I saw Doni’s post on the places she has lived throughout her life, and I thought I’d do something similar. Unlike my husband, I haven’t lived in the same place my entire life, and I believe my homes have shaped the person I am today.

Shady Hills, Florida. This is in Pasco County, not too far from Tampa. I lived here for less than the first two years of my life, so I don’t exactly remember it. (I was actually born in New Port Richey, Florida and then flown Gainesville, Florida because I was six weeks premature; I actually spent the first month of my life at Shands Hospital in the NICU.)

Fort Riley, Kansas. My dad was in the army (he was in Desert Storm), and we were stationed in Kansas. (I think we lived in multiple places in Kansas, but this is the place I remember most.) My sister was born here, so I know I wasn’t even two years old. I remember it snowing once, I think. I also remember always playing with a girl named Britney. Since I was so young, they’re vague memories.

Shady Hills, Florida. We moved back to Shady Hills when Dad got out of the army. I know we were here by the time I started pre-k at the age of four or five. This was my childhood home, and we lived right next door to my Granny & Pawpaw. When I write about childhood memories, this is where they took place.

Spring Hill, Florida. Located in Hernando County, Spring Hill is just the next city over from Shady Hills. We moved there when I was in the fifth grade, and I loved our house. In my bedroom, I had a “library nook” where I kept all of my books, and I had a “reading nook,” a little seat that looked over my front yard. Fifth and sixth grade were spent here.

Pikeville, Tennessee. As I was about to embark on my seventh grade year, my parents decided to move to Tennessee. I was devastated, but I’m so grateful for this decision now. I remember spending September 11, 2001 in Florida still, so it was sometime soon after that when we moved to Tennessee.

Dayton, Tennessee. My family decided to move here when I was in the ninth grade so that Dad would be closer to work. Dayton is where the Scopes Trial took place.

Shady Hills, Florida. I almost forgot this because I often block it from my memory. We went back to Florida right before my sophomore year of high school started. My Granny had been diagnosed with lung cancer, so Dad wanted to be close to her. I went to school at Hudson High School until February of my sophomore year, then we moved back to Tennessee.

Evensville, Tennessee. Just north of Dayton (in the same county, so I didn’t switch high schools); my family moved here after coming back from Florida. 

Spring City, Tennessee. Just north of Evensville (in the same county again, so I remained at the same high school). We moved here my senior year of high school. I started dating Husband while living here, and it’s where I turned eighteen.

Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just a few months after graduating, Husband and I moved to Chattanooga. We lived there from August 2007 to July 2008 (through our engagement and first month of marriage). We lived in a 2-bedroom apartment, and we had two different roommates over the course of our stay there.

Spring City, Tennessee. Such a small town, and this is where we reside now. We moved in with my in-laws in July 2008. In June 2009, we moved into our own house and have lived there since. Next summer, though? We might be moving back to Chattanooga to finish our schooling at a university.

Where have you lived over the course of your life?

I once hated my freckles. I would have tried anything to get rid of them. My face was covered with them, and they became more prominent in the summer months. Over the years, they have faded, as has my hatred for them. Once, an elderly woman who lived across the street from us–her name was June May–invited us over. (We were always warned that she was a “mean, old woman,” but she was nothing but kind to us. She even asked us to call her “Grandma June.”) She told me that freckles were hundreds of beauty marks. Up until that point, I covered my face with makeup to hide my freckles. After the moment, I stopped wearing makeup, and I have embraced my freckles. (To this day, I don’t wear makeup. I think of my freckles as my “makeup.”) Once, they were constantly on my mind because I felt as if they weren’t me. Now, they are a part of me.

Is there a part of yourself that you have learned to embrace over the years? Is there a part that you wish you could embrace?

I’ve already wrote about my first year of college and how I dropped out in the second semester. I knew I wanted to go back to school eventually, but I wanted to give myself some time off first. After starting my new (current) job in January 2009, I was making good money, so I decided to save up for school. I still really wasn’t planning on going back until Spring 2010, but right as the Fall 2009 semester was approaching, I signed up for classes. I also decided to change my major from Early Childhood Education to Psychology (with hopes of getting my Master’s in Counseling someday). Right now, I’m just attending a community college until I receive my A.S. At the time, I’ll transfer to a university for my B.S. in Psychology. The first semester, I decided to only take three classes and still be considered a “part time” student.

Fall 2009 : Psychology Major — General Transfer

• Comp II — After dropping out in the Spring of ’08, I knew I’d still be required to take this course. So, I did.
• U.S. History I — I also re-took this course, and it was so much better online. It allowed me to work at my own pace.
• Child Growth & Development — Ah, I LOVED this class. Since it goes with my degree, that made me love it even more. It was so fun learning about growth as a child (physically & mentally).

Spring 2010 : Psychology Major — Full Time

• Western World Lit. I — This class has been interesting. We read a lot of Greek myths before spring break, and now we’re going toward the Renaissance period.
• Intro to Women’s Studies — One of my favorite classes this semester. The discussions have been fun and interesting.
• Intro to Sociology — Another of my favorite classes. It only consist of (interesting) discussions and four tests, so it has been easy.
• Human Growth & Development — I decided to take this since I took Child Growth & Development last semester, and it’s a very interesting class, too. Most of what we learned at the beginning, I had already learned last semester.

After this semester, I will officially be a “sophomore” with thirty-three credit hours. I’ve signed up for ten credit hours so far in the fall (Astronomy [Lecture & Lab], Intro to Abnormal Psychology, and Religions of the World — and I hope to sign up for another three-hour class), but I’m a little over halfway done with my A.S. after this semester. It’s really moving along quite nicely, and I enjoy school much more this time around.

How was your second year of college? If you dropped out, do you want to go back? If you’ve gone back, has it been easier or harder this time?

If you’ve been reading for some time, you know that I’m a full time college student. Since I also work full time, I take all of my classes online. As I was registering for my Fall 2010 semester, I got to thinking about how exciting it is to me to know what classes people take to get them through school. So, I’ve compiled a list of the classes I have taken thus far–don’t worry, it’s not too many! I’m only halfway through my A.S. degree.

Fall 2007 : Early Childhood Education Major

• Composition I — My professor was hilarious. She was fun, and I made A’s on all of my assignments (even though, I have to admit, I took the easy route one too many times).
• Art Appreciation — I’m pretty sure my professor was a hippie, but he was awesome. I skipped his class one too many times, though. I somehow managed to make a B in that class, though. Once I skipped, though, I realized how easy it was to skip. Bad habits.
• Psychology — This was before I decided to major in psychology, and I skipped this class often as well. It was in a huge auditorium, and I felt like I wasn’t learning much in the lecture. I made a C in this class (probably because of skipping so often), so I barely made it.
• Statistics — I tested out of College Algebra, and this class was all too easy. I made an A, though I also skipped this class as much as I could.

Spring 2008 : The Semester I Dropped Out

• Comp II — My old roommate was in this class, and we also worked together. When she moved out, things didn’t end well, so I dreaded going to this class. I stopped going altogether (here and in my other classes) in March or April.
• Children’s Literature — LOVED this course. I took it online, and I was able to read some of my favorite childhood books. Not sure WHY I had to mess it up by dropping out.
• U.S. Government — I’m not big into politics, so this class was dreaded.
• U.S. History I — My professor constantly said “um,” and it was truly annoying. I’m not a big fan of history, either, so it was easiest to drop this class.

So, that was my first year of college. I really didn’t put much effort into it, and I wish I would have. I was just so tired of school. So, I dropped out and quit my job. Husband and I got married that June, and I got another job (working at the hotel). I spent Fall 2008 & Spring 2009 away from school, though I desperately wanted to go back. I got a great job (my current job) in January 2009, so that’s what I did in the Fall of 2009. I’ll save those classes for another day, though.

What classes did you take your first year in college? What were your favorites? Least favorites? If you didn’t go to college, tell me about your jobs since high school! (I might have to go into a post about those one day as well!)

As I sit in my cubicle at work, I realize how boring my life can be at times. I’m constantly doing something, but I have little time for fun. So what’s a day in the life of Megan like? Well, since you asked…

As most of you know, I’ve worked a full time job as an administrative assistant to an engineering group, Monday through Friday, for a year (and a day!) now. I wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m. (Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds) and I’m usually at work by about 6:15 a.m. At work, I perform the exciting tasks of scheduling meetings, making copies, updating excel documents, etc… (It’s really not that bad, and I like that my job is pretty low-key most of the time.) Being that I get to work a little early, I’m able to leave around 2:30 p.m. (which is always nice). After arriving home at 3:00 p.m., I start on homework. As you know, I’m taking a full load of online classes this semester (Intro to Sociology, Human Growth & Development, Western World Lit., and Intro to Women’s Studies), so there is no time for relaxation. Okay, I lie. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I usually end up going to my brother-in-law’s basketball games, so I relax on the homework. On Mondays and Thursdays, I only do things that are necessary (because those are TV nights—How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy). Wednesdays are the days that I really crack down on the reading and assignments. And I may or may not take homework breaks by playing the New Super Mario Bros. for Wii. Usually, during the week, I’m in bed by ten. Because I’m getting old. Or because I wake up seven hours later. Either way.

Ah, the weekends. I look forward to them. On Saturdays, I’m pretty useless. I always sleep in, and I rarely get any homework done. (Unless, of course, I waited until the last minute to write that 5-page paper and it’s due that night.) Usually, I try to talk Husband into going out for dinner and (sometimes) a movie. Or we stay home and watch old seasons of How I Met Your Mother (we’re finally on season five, though). On Sunday, I wake up as late as possible with just enough time to get ready for church (if I decide to go—which I haven’t for the past few Sundays). If I stay home, I just catch up on reading for school. At noon, Husband and I go to his great-grandma’s house for lunch. We do this every Sunday, and it’s always nice. We visit for about three hours, usually, and then we either go home and do nothing (or homework) OR go grocery shopping.

Really, that’s what my life is right now. It’s full of homework, real work, high school basketball games, HIMYM & Grey’s Anatomy, and going to bed early & waking up early.

If I had to live in your life for a week, what would it be like?

Oh, hello. I disappeared again, didn’t I? I have a good excuse, though. I came back to work full time, classes started last week, and I literally have not been home for more than a couple hours (aside from when I’m sleeping) since Friday. Basketball games and the like. So, this is going to be a filler post. I was actually thinking about it in the shower last night. A bit of a “get to know me a little better” post. Or “get to know who my siblings are” post. Because, hey, who doesn’t like writing about other people? So, here you go: a list of my siblings and what they mean to me. (Awww.)

When asked the question, “How many siblings do you have?” the answer is simple: two. Well, biologically. However, I actually have a few other people in my life who I consider “siblings.”

The first of my biological siblings is my nineteen-year-old sister, Amanda. (This makes me the oldest child.) We are exactly twenty-one months apart, so we literally grew up together. We are complete opposites, though. She has(/had) blonde hair, while I’m a brunette. She’s tall (at 5’8”) while I stand at a short 5’1”. Even though we’re opposites, we’re best friends. I’m sure we fought as kids, just as most siblings do, but now that we don’t live together anymore, I’m always looking for excuses to spend time with her. She’s been out of high school for almost two years now, and I’m doing whatever it takes to help her get into college this summer or fall. She wants to be a teacher, and she has so much potential.

My second (and last) biological sibling is my thirteen-year-old brother, Trenton. He’ll be fourteen in March, and it makes me feel old. (I remember the day he came home from the hospital.) He’s my baby, no lie. Right now, he’s in the eighth grade, and he’s going through a “phase.” His hair is longer than mine, and he wore skinny jeans for a while (though I think he’s growing out of that). He plays guitar, and I think he likes Husband more than he likes me sometimes. Probably because Husband plays guitar, too. Trenton is so intelligent; he’s amazing at math, and even at a young age, he would make up fictional stories on the spot. Often times, Trenton and I are told we look a lot alike. It’s true. Brown hair, blue eyes … and I think our noses are similar. He, too, is taller than I am … and probably catching up to my sister, if he hasn’t already passed her up. (Yes, that makes me the oldest, but shortest, sibling.)

Now we move on to the “other” siblings. First is Eddie, my twenty-seven-year-old “big brother.” In reality, he’s my oldest cousin on my dad’s side of the family. We grew up together, though, and he has always been what a big brother should be. Now, he’s married with three kids (Zachary, Chloe, and Tuff—all ages three and under! They all call me “Aunt Megan.”) and he lives nearby. I don’t see him as often as I’d like, though. Next, is Eddie’s younger brother, David. He’s my twenty-five-year-old “big brother.” Growing up, I was always really close to David. Now, he lives in Florida with his wife and three kids (Emily, Kourtney, and Tyler. Emily actually lives with her mom full time, but she goes to visit David a lot.)

Last but not least, we have the Brother-In-Law, Jared. Everyone calls him JJ, though. JJ is Husband’s seventeen-year-old brother and only sibling. He’s a senior in high school with a 4.0 GPA and a member of the Varsity basketball team. I don’t know how this kid does it. He plays basketball (and runs track in the spring) all while maintaining an amazing GPA. Not only that, but he’s taking college courses, too. When he graduates high school, he’ll have completed 12 hours toward college. (Right now, he’s taking the same Lit class that I’m taking!) He’s planning on going to school to be an engineer. JJ was a freshman in high school when I was a senior, and I actually met him for the first time when he was in seventh grade, so I’ve watched him grow up, and he’s always been a little brother to me, in a way.

So, there you have it—my siblings.

How many siblings do you have? What about sibling-in-laws? Is there anyone else you consider a sibling, even if they aren’t biologically?