An East Coast couple trying to make a new life in the South-West. Good-bye big city, southern comfort food, beaches, and trees. Hello spurs, steaks, cowboys, and flat farm land.
I'm Meagan. I love chocolate, HGTV, spending hours in Target, laying on the beach, sleeping in, my furry four-legged children, meeting someone new, girl talk, my boyfriend "Gym", & my husband Shane. :) I'm addicted to: my iPhone, taking pictures, decorating, always having a project, baking, and googling.
I'm currently in school to be a Veterinarian. I enjoy the challenge veterinary medicine gives along with the crazy animals, cases, and clients.
Shane. A USMC veteran currently working as a Avionics Electrician with a military contracting company. When not fixing helicopters he is playing his games, sleeping, annoying me, spoiling the cats, and making me laugh.
The Copeland's
Met in 2005. Married in 2007. Survived 2 deployments. Moved 3 times. Countless Memories. Countless Jokes. Priceless Love.
So I have this new obsession: Organizing & Planning EVERYTHING!!
My husband & I recently both committed to being a lot healthier with what we eat. So, to be sure we didn't stray from our new "life change" we decided to develop a meal plan. I looked in one of my favorite books "101 Body-Sculpting Workouts & Nutrition Plans for Women" its written by the same people who do "Hers Magazine" which is a fitness magazine that I'm in love with. They have in the book a 2 week sample meal plan. So I took this idea, and other ideas from websites, other books and magazines, and ran with it. Now with this new "meal plan" idea came a new "grocery list" idea. I used this last time I went grocery shopping I had in hand (1) my meal plan (2) grocery list (3) coupons (4) store circular & (5) a budget. I managed to leave the store getting everything on my list (& nothing more!!!), use most of my coupons & discounts through the store circular, and stay within budget. :) I felt amazing! Nope, the fat-kid in me didn't come out on this grocery shopping trip. No cookies, cake mixes, cookie dough, ice cream, twinkies, nothing! Just healthy, colorful, flavorful food. :)
So my other new obsession: organizing. My husband says "You always get these ideas, but never finish them." Well sweet husband of mine, now it will get finished. Like I've said before, I have no school this summer & I only work part time. So I have alllllll the time this summer to get some organization projects done. First on my list: a "command center." Now Laura, at "I'm an Organization Junkie" gave me the idea. Her blog: http://orgjunkie.com/ is amazing. She has a million, gazillion ideas for organizing & planning EVERYTHING! I want to be just like her when I grow up. Her also offers printable menu plans, camping trips, grocery list, "52 weeks of organizing", and even responsibility charts. In all, she's amazing.
So my first attempt of organizing is going towards my office & the closet in it. I have tons of stuff to organize: school stuff from my freshman year of high school to this last semester of college, craft stuff I use with the twins I babysit, our family meal plans, our monthly budget, my endless collections of fitness magazines & books. other random books I've acquired over the years, and all of my husband's JUNK! Next on my list will be the kitchen, then our closet & bedroom, then our lives in general.
I'm going to take Laura's idea of the "52 weeks of organizing" & put it to the test. I may not do the whole 52 weeks, just maybe 13 weeks. That will get me through the summer before school starts again.
So along with keeping on track with my half marathon training, I hope to stay on track with organizing. :)
Sorry, had to channel my inner Alice Cooper. As of 1 week ago, I am done with school until August. It feels amazing to not have to rush home to do homework, to not have to spend hours staring at my notes trying to make sense of scribbles and doodles, last minute cramming for a test or quiz, and not getting annoyed with every little thing. I finished with a 3.5 GPA, not what I was wanting, but I'll take it. Shane & I are going to be able to spend so much more time together, I will be able to get some things done around the house: like the many DYI projects I have brewing in my head, yard projects, organization projects, & starting my half-marathon training.
Yup, that's right I finally have the guts to run a half marathon.....I think. My friend Joanna just ran her first half & it's really inspired me to actually do it. I've researched a couple of running plans and read a couple magazines and books for some tips. I just need to actually finish what I start.
With the new inspiration to run a half marathon comes a new "life-style change" in the food Shane & I eat. I refuse to call this a "diet" because diets fail and come & go. This new change is here to stay. We want to be able to say to our kids: "Mommy & daddy ate their veggies, now you can too."
My birthday was last month & it was awesome. The girls I work with made sure it was a good one. They got me a $50 Victoria's Secret gift card & goodies from Bath & Body Works. We also went out to eat at a local Mexican place, then hit a local whole-in-the-wall bar. It was a blast. So much fun to go out with the girls :))
My presents :)
Out With My Girls :)
Today is dubbed "De-Clutter" day. I'm going to clean out the guest rooms closets (which are now housing random boxes of crap), see what I can donate or salvage, then load up Shane's truck and head to goodwill.
Then, I'll take Hank for a run, come back and organize some more, and then just hang out with the husband. :)
Today I was a total housewife & spent 90% of the day cleaning. I washed & folded about 6 loads of laundry. With two people in the house, it is amazing that we have that much laundry, but I change clothes a lot. I wear scrubs to work most of the time, then my workout clothes, my pajamas, and then my normal blue jeans and t-shirts. I wash Shane's pants just about every day too, he usually comes home with grease and grossness on them from work. I washed our bed sheets, pillows, etc. I did a load of dishes and cleaned up the bathrooms & I even managed to vacuum the whole house. It's amazing how dirty our floors get with 5 animals. I cleaned out all four litter boxes (grossness again). I really wish I could train my cats to use the toilet, it would be amazing & save so much money on litter.
Speaking of saving money, I'm on a total couponing binge now. I watch the show on TLC all time & I want to be just like them when I grow up (but maybe less of a stock pile). My first "couponing high" was about a month ago. I set a budget for myself no more than $150 for about a month's worth of groceries. Now for two people in the house it shouldn't be that hard to do, but my husband eats as if the end of the world is coming. So I printed off coupons on line (thank you smartsource.com) & got some vendor coupons from websites. Now I told myself "if I already have some at home....I'm not creating a stock pile." I made sure to get coupons for things we eat a lot of: veggies, cereal, Tyson chicken nuggets, yogurts, bread, etc. I also used the store's weekly circular to get some things like the "Rice Sides" packets for 5/$5 and such. My original total before coupons & my discount for re-usable bags was around $197, after all of my coupons were scanned and my bag discount was given my total was: $133.54. It felt AMAZING to save that much. Not nearly as good as the women on TV, but hey it's a start. That's about a tank a gas for my husband's truck, or 2 tanks of gas for me.
I want to keep couponing (but not to the extreme of the TV people), especially since the price of everything is getting to be ridiculous.
Also, I'm addicted to this new blog: http://orgjunkie.com
One of my new year's resolutions was to get more organized. I've gotten myself a planner and I write down everything!! I write down daily/weekly to-do lists in a spiral notebook, put due dates for my school assignments in my planner, and even track my running and cycling in a daily running log. Now I just need to get other things organized: my craft things, coupons, pet food, Christmas things, clothes, etc. I'm hoping this new site can help me out, I just discovered it today.
Some good news:
School is coming to an end :)))) I'm already registered for the summer & fall, so if all goes as planned I should still be ready to apply for Vet school in the summer of next year.
Shane may be switching shifts at work, finally! We have been doing the whole "opposite shifts" things for a while now, it will be nice to have him home more often. :) & my birthday is coming up :) I'm looking forward to dinner and drinks with my husband and some friends :)
A Beautiful West Texas Morning
He loves car rides
Living Room
Fireplace
Picture wall, there will be a small table there soon too
So we have been in our new fabulous house for about 2 months now. Things are still in boxes, but life is going smoothly. My mom came to visit for a few days while I was on spring break from school. She drove out here with our dog, Hank (He was staying with my mom since we lived in a tiny tiny apartment when we first moved to Texas). We managed to get some landscaping done while she was here, and she was able to rest and relax a bit before she drove back to Georgia.
School is going okay, I always have a million things to do (test, homework, lab practicals, papers). Not to mention working and going to the gym. Shane & I have been sick (stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, the whole nine yards) for the past week. Hubby is already feeling better, while I have a huge sinus headache for the past two days. So very very little has been accomplished (ie: laundry, dishes, cooking, homework, etc.)
& finally..... pictures:
Pictures in the hallway to our bedroom
Our master bedroom
Master bedroom
Master bathroom
Master bathroom
Picture wall in living room
Some landscaping my mom & I got accomplished.
New bushes, petunias, & tulips
New patio furniture from my mom.
Front view.
Front view
Tulips starting to bloom
Petunias & tulips starting to bloom.
Now some cute ones of our children:
Zed typically cries when we let Hank out, so we let Zed out with him.
They love to snuggle together
This is the look I get when I ask him "Hank, wanna go for a run??"
The house is officially broken in. Last night I had a margarita night with some friends. A night full of martinis, margaritas, wine, talking, laughing, and one friend breaking one of my martini glasses. Hey, at least she cleaned it up :) It was a great night, which will definitely be repeated soon.
School is well....school. I feel as if I constantly have something due, a test coming up, a study session to attend, and homework to complete. As always, sleep seems to never be in sight. My first semester as a full time college student is also "broken in." I've decided to stick with Pre-vet. I've talked to my adviser and I can complete 9 more classes and then apply for Vet school. Which means that by this time next year I will be preparing for and taking the GRE and MCAT, writing my entrance essays, filling out applications, preparing for interviews, and sweating bullets the entire way. (At this time a margarita night will be a must!) I'm excited that I don't have to wait too much longer to reach my goal. One day you can all me Doctor C. :) & yes, I am still planning on joining the Army. At that point you can call me Captain C. :)
My mom is coming to visit in 2 weeks. I haven't seen her since January, and I'm so excited for her to visit, meet my friends, see the house, and bring my son "Hank." Our other children are doing well. They love the new house, we often have to do a "roll-check" to make sure none of them have gotten out. Zed, the kitten, has gotten out a few times....nothing scares that kid. I have found him on the driveway a couple times sitting next to the truck just watching cars go by on the road. He's going to give me a heart attack one of these days.
The house is coming along nicely. We still have some boxes to unpack (although I'm happy if they never get unpacked). Next time we move....we are hiring someone to pack and unpack for us.
Now, off to cook dinner (terakyi chicken with stuffed shells, and steamed veggies. yummm) & finish up my never ending homework.
It's been over a month since I last posted, sorry guys. A new semester has started at school and I'm getting into the swing of my new school & work schedule. At times I am a little overwhelmed with my course load, but in the end I know it will pay off. I'm currently contemplating changing my major from Pre-Vet to Pre-Law. If I decide to change, I will go to Law school, possibly do criminal law & maybe one day become an ADA. Or do Environmental law. I'm meeting with an advisor at school next week to discuss my options and what I have to look forward to career wise. If I take this path, I will be done with undergrad quicker, I can go to a school closer (Texas Tech Law School is 1.5 away from us......Vet school would be anywhere from 5-11 hours away), and start making money quicker. I would still look at the option of joining either Army or Navy to practice law. I'm hoping for guidance from God to help me choose which path would make me happier.
Another major change? We are officially living in our new home! We moved in last weekend and it was a crazy crazy weekend. This house is great. No more cramped, cold apartment. Just wide open spaces in the house. Shane now has his own office (the upstairs man cave) & I have no own office downstairs. Our guestroom and is up and ready for some visitors! The dining room/kitchen is good to go, while the living room just needs some art work hung and the master bedroom is waiting on our bedroom set and art work/pictures.
Shane's mom and one of his sisters came to visit while we were moving in, they were such great help. They came just before snow hit and left just as snow was falling on Sunday. Last night it snowed yet again....total accumulation of 8-10 inches with snow drifts have been recorded at up to 24 inches. Shane's new truck got stuck in the snow last night as he came home from work.....it was quiet the sight. My work got closed for today & school was canceled. So we are spending the day updating blogs, unpacking some more boxes, sorting out laundry, doing homework, and enjoying our new home.
My friend Becky reminded me of my 101 things list....so here is an update on it too:
Beginning Date: October 20, 2010
Estimated Date of Finish: July 18, 2013
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