xo
meg

These look like how instagrams are meant to look.

We had a small party with friends and family at our house–angel food cake, bubbles, sidewalk chalk. Tiny pizzas, round rice krispie bars, and little round cheeses–moon-shaped food. The kids played with moon dough–white homemade play-doh with gray swirls. Alice got lots of books, a moon that hangs on her wall and lights up with changing phases, and sewing cards.

That night I went to the opening party for Big Omaha, a two-day entrepreneurship conference here in town. More on that later, I think.

Happy birthday dear Alice.
Polaroids are fun.

xo
meg

This month has been full of things that made me stop and think “I’ve got to remember this moment!” It’s not so much about “firsts” anymore, but the short reels of memories played back in my mind from each day that you see something new, the fun experiences we have together, and how I can see you knowing the world more and more each day. The time we spend together is what relaxes me, and whenever I’m at work or at the gym or laying in bed at night listening to you mutter in your sleep across the hall, remembering your face as I close my eyes takes me to the most beautiful place I can be.

Yesterday, we spent the day at home together while I cleaned the porch. You LOVE cleaning, and you march around with a washcloth or a little dustpan and broom and announce with great importance, “Adiss, keening. Mama, keening. House. Adiss. Keen.” I mopped the porch with the screen door propped open while you swept the little helicopters and seed pods from the sidewalk, chatting all along. I filled up a plastic tub with water–enough for you to swim in–and you proudly wet a washcloth and wiped down every surface you could find–the sidewalk, the steps, the car, yourself.

We soaked sidewalk chalk and used it to paint beautifully saturated lines all over the trees in our yard, the side of the house, the car tires, your knees. We drew a letter of the alphabet on each sidewalk segment, and you zoomed up and down the driveway on your little wooden bike.

Yesterday was a beautiful day–they’re all like that. A little work. A little creativity. A few hiccups, a challenge for us both, and a funny story.

We’re still working on potty training (of course) and it’s really fun to tackle this with you as a parent because it’s the first kind of “responsibility” that you’ve ever had for yourself. You get to decide if you’re gonna use the potty, and sometimes you don’t want to. A few weeks ago, you were running naked around the house (normal and awesome) and you suddenly ran out of your room and said “oops, mama.”

You actually peed into BOTH of your boots. Like not like you were standing near them and got one of them wet–BOTH OF YOUR BOOTS WERE FILLED WITH PEE. This was totally deliberate. Then you tried to PUT THE BOOTS ON and FREAKED OUT when I wouldn’t let you. There was a tantrum over not being allowed to wear Peeboots. This might be a story to save for prom night.

You also love to name and organize things. When we’re in a group, you point around the room and say everybody’s name, including pets and stuffed animals. You like to stack things and organize things by color. At my office, you sit up on my yellow stool and carefully pick up buttons between your two fingers and drop them one-by-one into tiny jars and boxes that I’ve saved for you. As I type on my computer across the room or stitch standing next to you, I hear “purple….blue…..red……pink……white….”

What else is new?

• You’ve started saying some simple sentences: “Mama…has…yellow…hair!” “Must…be…windy…out!”
• “Adiss, luff, mama.”
• You say that you have pink skin and I have orange skin.
• You think my freckles are owwies and you kiss them.
• You love pointing out letters in signs when we go out.
• You covered your entire face in MAC Vegas Volt, which was the first thing I saw when I woke up one day
• We love going out into the yard at night to sit very still and watch the bunnies (“bandies”)
• You tend to describe everything by color lately: “White chair.” “Pink shirt.” “Yellow robot.” “Adiss want nap, red car.”
• Your favorite shows are Yo Gabba Gabba, and lately you like this really terrible show with puppet babies that you are way too old for. I said it was creepy, and now whenever you want to watch it you say “Watch Keepy Babies?”
• “Mommy’s, daddy’s, room?” You always want to sleep in our bed at night. Sometimes we let you and it’s really nice.
• I’m really impressed with your ability to remember and talk about events in the past–going to the park, napping in my office, and your favorite memory, watching a professional horse jumping event a few weeks ago. “White horsies jump high!”
• Your favorite foods are froot loops, ice, and beans. That’s what you always ask for. Luckily, you eat anything.
• I’m disappointed by your sweet tooth. I was never a big candy craver but you just go nuts for it. Not good!
• You love to draw, and you always say you’re drawing letters. “A… P… N… Y…”

Everyone who you love brings out a little different part of your personality–with grandpa you are mischievous and energetic, with grandma you are well-behaved, helpful, and talkative. This month you finally started naming Grandma–”Meh-mah”– and inviting her to play with you. On Easter we went to your Aunt Mary’s farm together and you picked armfuls and armfuls of rhubarb for pies with Grandma. You just love to be helpful. You love having a job to do.

Most nights, you talk in your sleep a little bit. I think all parents would agree that one of the most magical and enchanting things is watching their children sleep and wondering what they are dreaming. I watch a smile slowly spread on your face, feel you sigh deeply, your eyes open groggily and you say “Mama…..horsie” before drifting back to sleep.

You’re perfect.

Alice, It’s so important to have courage. I will tell you this all the time as you grow up. You have to be brave. And you have to have the strength to admit what you know you have seen, what your experiences truly are, and how you feel about it. Sometimes when you admit those things to yourself, it can bring you to a low place, which is what makes us want to hide the truth. That’s why it takes so much courage to accept nothing less than what you are worth, and give nothing less than courtesy to others. Have the courage to decide who you are instead of allowing others to tell you who they want you to be. I hope you are always guided by what you know deep down is the truth, what you know is the right thing to do, because when you have the courage to stand up for yourself, you’re also standing up for millions of others who couldn’t. Never be afraid of who you are or see yourself–or your sisters–as the enemy. You will always be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Love,
Mama

Love you, Dave.
xox

• My clothes–my clothes that I love to wear–didn’t fit anymore
• Watching The Biggest Loser on Hulu Plus
• Remembering about the existence of the steam room

I don’t have a scale, so I didn’t really have a number for my weight gain, but I knew it was there–the way my clothes fit. The way I looked in photos. The loss of energy. So I just got myself to go to the gym for one day. And I loved it. I love being able to watch tv and run. I love being able to increase the amount of weight I work with every few weeks because I can tell I’m getting stronger. I don’t feel like I look different. I haven’t lost as much as I want. I still can’t fit into most of my clothes. But I love this new routine. I like that it’s time not just by myself, but for myself–it’s more than “me time.”

So I kept going, day after day, closing up shop a bit early every night so I can get an hour or two in before bed. When I exercise, I want to eat better. When I eat better, I’m more excited by my results when I work out. I feel happier for having time to “zone out” every day. I feel happier for not sitting in my computer chair until 5am. And when the long-term rewards just don’t seem worth it, I remember my favorite short-term reward–that awesome steam room. (I close my eyes and imagine I’m in the Amazon. Have you ever done that? And dropping a little essential oil into the steam grate is fabulous.)

Here’s what else I’ve been up to in real life:

1: Part of the new “Flyover Country” chalk mural at CAMP created by Andrew Yoland. 2: My proof copy of Chris Guillebeau’s The $100 Startup, featuring yours truly. (And it’s available for pre-order!) 3: On Friday I dj’d a gothic dance set at House of Loom in Omaha.

4: Taking a break during a run to swing at a playground. 5: Alice’s new hair curlers from her great-grandma, “Grand Catherine.” They’re vintage but they were unopened in their packaging. I have to show the instructions to my hairdresser! 6: On Tuesday I spoke on a panel about mass media in a college class at UNO with Dusty Davidson of Silicon Prarie News and Steve Gordon of RDQLUS.

7: Ladies’ lunch at B&G Tasty Foods in Omaha. We had peanut butter sandwiches and fries. My mom tried the new peanut butter frenchee–it was intense. 8: Spectating at The International horse jumping competition tonight with Alice and Sarah from Fash Flood. Alice nearly lost her shit, she was so excited about seeing the horsies! 9: Alice fixated on the horses. She even brought her plastic yellow horse from the dollar bin.

10: Bedtime. Alice sleeps with me when Dave isn’t home–he’s at CAMP tonight managing a game designing competition. 11: Nap at CAMP in a little blanket nest on the floor behind my desk. 12: Purple tree encountered during a walk.

The girls walked to Len’s Steal My Sunshine and Your Woman by White Town. So maybe cue those up before you scroll through the pictures. After the final parade, I sang a few bars at the end of the runway.

The inspiration for this collection was Kay Thompson’s character Eloise as a teenager. Stealing lipstick and eyeliner testers from the counters at Saks. Her expensive dresses and skirts rumpled on the floor. Slamming her door at the Plaza Hotel and lying to Nanny about spending the night with a friend. You know she’s going to Harvard, but what would she wear with her bad, ungrateful attitude?

These photos are from Greg Higgins. You can also visit the Omaha Fashion Week gallery from Muller, Lomneth, and Conces to see more photos from the week. There is so much talent in Omaha–the people power required to put on one successful show is gigantic, and OFW brings it all together into one well-produced week all tied up with a bow. It was a pleasure to showcase my work in their show for the last three years.

As more pictures come in I will be sure to share them!

xo
meg

Reminders:

• Regional readers, buy tickets to come see my final fashion show for Omaha Fashion Week this Friday! Also showing that night are my two favorite local designers, Emma Erickson and Jane Round. They make the most beautiful, wearable, wonderful work.
• Apply for an incredibly valuable internship with Lovestruck Events.
• Project Runway finale on Thursday! I’ll be in Denver watching with Mondo. If you’re in the Denver area, you should come too! I’ll also be with Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik of Fash Flood and Anna Newell Jones of And Then She Saved.

xo
meg

Matt is cool because…

He’s the kindest man I know ★ He orders an Oreo Shake wherever they’re available ★ He flies airplanes ★ He owns a pickup truck ★ He will drop everything to come help me build something, move something, or have dinner ★ I tend to give up when I face adversity, and I’ve never ever seen him do it ★ He is a great listener ★ He shows empathy to others who are in pain ★ He takes great care of Alice ★ He’s not afraid to ride a jetski as fast as it will go ★ He rappelled down one of the tallest buildings in our city ★ He knows how to start a fire ★ He SCUBAs for treasure ★ He doesn’t drink soda ★ He texts me “butts” ★ He’d never do anything hypocritical or without integrity ★ For two years of his childhood he wore nothing but jeans and black t-shirts because he wanted to look like Jonny Quest ★ For most of his childhood he actually wore matching sweatpants and sweatshirts ★ He’s not afraid of the scariest parts in video games ★ He kept all my secrets from our parents ★ He exercises ★ He’s a morning person ★ He gave me a pink bike for my birthday ★ He’s generous with his love and friendship ★

xo
your deer deer seester

1: Picnic in the park on a 70-degree day ::  2. Dave working on one of his platform games for SlouchCouch Studios  ::  3. New chalk art on our wall at CAMP thanks to Andrew Yolland  ::  4. Work on a huge order for a lovely bride  ::  5. Naptime. I love the jet pack t-shirt and the quilt made by my friend Marlina.  ::  6. Cutting felt for kits. Mint shellac manicure from VuVu in Omaha.  ::  7. Alice in her great-great grandma’s rocking chair  ::  8. Alice texts after a bath  ::  9. My order finishing process — laying it all out on my table, labeling which flowers go where, and beginning to stem each one  ::  10. Dinner with grandpa at Don & Millie’s, and her first day with pigtails  ::  11. Oatmeal at McDonald’s–I have a ton of coupons for these and she LOVES them  ::  12. Lunch at Blue Planet–spy the Gabbas!

Remembering these moments!

xo

meg

look no. 1 for Omaha Fashion Week

Alice's handiwork

cookies from a photoshoot for an upcoming event

surprise staycation with Dave! we stayed at the element, a beautiful new hotel in midtown omaha with the greatest view.

quick phone snaps from our photoshoot last saturday

an awesome tutorial I just finished--I have the grip of them this month!

have a lovely weekend
xo
meg