NEW BLOG

megryanbriggs.blogspot.com

and MY new email
meaganbriggs3@gmail.com

It's my BIRTHDAY!

It's a big week.

My birthday is Sunday the 3rd.

The Olympics start on Friday the 8th.

And I'm getting married on Saturday the 9th.

ALL IN ONE WEEK.

unfortunately I might be MIA for the next 2 weeks. But when I come back to the blogging world, I will be a married senora and also be in the process of starting a new blog! YAY!

A-Z

A- Attached or Single? very attached
B- Best Friend? Kristie Meloney until we moved from San Diego, Kelsi Tsuchida in Seattle, Livi Osborne, Katie Denkers, Jane Metcalf, Christina Brazier, Kristine Metcalf, McKenzie Ricks, and Ashley Johnson while at BYU-Idaho, and now my love, Ryan
C- Cake or Pie? Pie -cheesecake
D- Day of choice? Thursday
E- Essential item? my black planner and hand sanitizer
F- Favorite color? red wine
G- Gummy bears or worms? gummy bears. Ate Harbo gummy bears everyday when I was in Europe! Jane and Katie can testify!
H- Hometown? Mt. Holly, North Carolina
I- Favorite Indulgence? The Bachelor, freezie pops, kissing Ryan
J- January or July? January equals hot chocolate and cuddling. duh!
K- Kids? I would love 4 but Ryan wants 5...we'll see...
L- Life isn't complete without? laughter
M- Marriage date? August 9, 2008
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 2 bros 1 sis, and some in-laws! I love my peeps
O- Oranges or Apples? apples. I have probably tried 85% of all known apples in the US. I went through a huge apple kick in high school and I would eat like 3 apples a day. Fav apple you ask? Pink Lady's of course!
P- Phobia and fears? claustrophobia, being alone, getting a spider bite on my face
Q- Quote? "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade"
R- Reasons to smile? Ryan, the sound of rain, laughing with my mom until we cry, watching What's Up Doc, seeing my nephew for the first time after he was born, warm showers, good hair days, fluffy pillows, warm towels, twizzlers pull-and-peel, weddings, eisley music, driving to the beach, new shoes
S- Season of choice? spring
T- Tag 3 people: McKenzie R, Jessie G, Esther W
U- Unknown fact about me: i technically read at a 7th grade level...go figure
V- Vegetable? zucchini
W- Worst Habit? i crack my knuckles all the time
X - Ray or Ultrasound? both. x-ray of my nose, shins, finger. ultrasound of my calves, arm, foot, thigh
Y- Your favorite food? its a tie between Japanese and Thai
Z- Zodiac sign? Leo- birthday is in 5 days!

Dinner with Linds and Ryan

We love our friends Lindsey and Ryan! We met up and went to Fox & Hound for some drinks and appetizers.

The Good Old Bothell Dance Days!

Random Story:
When I was in Seattle, I had a friend in my stake named Jordan Staples. He went to a different high school but it seemed like every time we saw each other was at Bothell Stake youth dances. The place to be I guess on a Friday night. We never danced. Only talked and make fun of the dorky kids. So, Jordan's family moved to Utah and we lost touch. Then randomly one day on Facebook, I found him! Turns out he had gone a mission to Canada, he's a current student at Utah State and he is married! Him and his wife Paige are out here in Charlotte for the summer selling security. So, we hung out tonight. It was so much fun catching up with him and really looking forward to married life. Hanging out with married couples is the best! We loved it. And 6 years later and he's the same Jordan! His wife Paige is a beauty and we had a good time chatting about the upcoming wedding!

9:30am

Two weeks from now, I will be in the temple, dressed in white, kneeling across the alter looking at the love of my life. So excited for time and all eternity!

Just a note though, where did the freakin time go? Because I swear yesterday it was February 16th when Ryan and I got engaged, I blinked, and now we are just 2 weeks away from the big day. only 166 days of waiting....haha. I have experienced so many wonderful and beautiful moments with Ryan. He is such an amazing person and I truly am my best self when I am with him. ok ok ok...enough.

tennis!

Tonight, Ryan and I took on my dad and brother, Jared. It was intense. Ryan played a lot in high school and before the mission, so he's got some skills (it's hott!) And as for me, I work really hard so I'm improving. Actually, I want to join a fall tennis league at one of the country clubs close to our house. SO. We played doubles and by the time we got done, 3 hours later, and 22 games later, Ryan and I lost to my Dad and Jared. But that's ok. It was so intense and it just makes me want to try harder next time! We now have plans to play every Thursday. After the wedding it will be quite cozy in the Steele home with, Mom and Dad, Jared, and Ryan and I. BUT we want to make tennis a focus. My dad even said, I'm glad we played tennis today instead of going to the driving range. Wait, What? Good times had by all.

Milestone!

3 weeks away from being a wife!

Batman was AWESOME!

AMAZING.

Go see it.

Bowling with The Kempers!

Fun double date! Our married friends Brad and Hailey Kemper found the best bowling alley. We played 2 games and went to McDonald's afterwards. Here are some fun pics!

America's Next Top Bride

Seriously, I took my Bridal pictures and I felt like America's Next Top-Bride. I had a BLAST. My dress is PERFECT. My photographer is amazing. I love her. Her husband also helped out with shooting pics and angles. We even went outside to this amazing old Lutheran church that has a huge RED door. Can't wait to see those shots! Hooray! I am so excited to show them off to all ya'll. Ryan does a very faithful job of reading my blog on his own free time so I won't post pics until after the wedding day. Too bad! But, I really enjoyed being the center of attention. Is that bad? NOPE CAUSE I'M THE BRIDE. Yep. Deal. It's just one day out of my life! (Sorry that was a nasty post--wait until you get married because wearing 15 yards of white fabric is very enthralling)

Happy 4th of July!

Every year is different. I remember going down to Idaho Falls, my freshman year at BYU-Idaho, to watch fireworks. I remember getting stuck in the lame post firework traffic getting back on the I-15 AND being late for curfew and signing the stupid book. Ew. Dorms suck.
I then remember one summer when my dear best friend Livi Osborne came back to school after her Study Abroad in Florence Italy and I opted to go to Idaho Falls with Jane and the gang to greet Livi at our apartment Brookside 310.
Last summer 2007, Jane Metcalf and I went down to the Kirkland waterfront with our adopted singles ward, Sammamish Valley. It was a blast! Before, we tried going to Chipotle (best Mexican food on the planet) but it was closed...go figure...so we went to Whole Foods and got a wonderful sandwich.

We brought blankets and of course our camera! We had just watched the new Transformers...and so we took some great action shots of our interpretation!

It was such a great day! Our fun summer sales friends kept the jokes going and then talked us into driving them home after fireworks....
This year....I have a wonderful Fiance. The 4th is definitely one of my favorite holidays so I was SO pumped to cuddle up with Ryan, watch some fireworks and hang out down at the lake. But, my man had to work. On a positive note, he got paid for time and a half. YAY! I had to be creative flying solo. I went to the pool to lay out. Definitely needed. Came back, made some awesome nachos, and I noticed it started raining a bit. Oh, the rain didn't stop for 4 hours. So, I baked cookies, watched bits and pieces of America's Next Top Model marathon, What Not To Wear, Chicken Run, Spiderman 2, and FINALLY...the rain stopped. So Sophie and I went out to the dock, met up with some neighbors, and watched the fireworks. Talk about neat experience. The neighbors had brought some pretty wild fireworks and my poor baby Sophie was shaking...the whole time. Gotta love her! Anyways, Ryan and I have a fun day planned for the 5th so maybe that will be our new holiday :-)

We could if we wanted to!

Ryan and I have our marriage license AND living ordinance recommend from the Stake Pres.

Basically, we could go get married at anytime. Eloping is cool right?

I told my mom this and she said, "I will murder you in broad daylight....and not care. You better not."

So we won't. Wedding is still on for Aug. 9th.

Fireflies in Charlotte!

I SAW A FIREFLY!!!! oh my goodness I freaked out.

Ryan and I had a fun night. We decided to play tennis instead of going to the pool to swim. I am finally getting better at tennis. We were working on my forearm hitting. Ryan said I was "bringing the heat." haha I think I just got lucky. It started to rain and as we were walking into the house he spotted a, "Lightning Bug." I was like....what is that? Well, apparently......in the South, they call fireflies Lightning Bugs. I got so excited because the only firefly I have ever seen was on A Bug's Life. Their bums really do light up. Ryan is a very skilled bug catcher so he palmed the firefly and we stuck it in a jar, ran into the laundry room, turned off the lights and watched the bugs bum light up.

I was excited.

We are still in love.

Our new baby!

Ryan and I bought a car! How exciting! We have been researching cars and narrowed in on Subaru's. Our requirements were: low miles, 4 wheel drive, lots of trunk space, and beauuuutiful. We have been looking to buy a car for a couple weeks and we decided to go down to a dealership to check out a car that was on AutoTrader. We came back with this baby! A 2005 Subaru Legacy. It was a bit scary to sign our lives away! But, it was great to do it together. Ryan is happy with the horsepower and engine. I am happy with its clean interior and beautiful paint job.

Counting down!

49 DAYS!!!!!!

SLIGHTLY FREAKING OUT!

It's Official!

Ryan and I finally finished the last piece to our honeymoon puzzle. On our wedding night we will be staying at "The Duke Mansion." It is an old plantation home built into a Bed and Breakfast, located in downtown Charlotte.

And then, we'll drive about 3 1/2 hours south to Charleston, South Carolina! We will be spending 4 nights at the Sheraton hotel which is located in the heart of downtown. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Charleston. It's supposed to be one of the most romantic cities in the south...ahem ahem. Can't go wrong. Charleston is right on the coast so I'll be spending lots of time at the beach. Ryan's dad was able to give us his accumulated hotel Sheraton points due to many many work trips to Asia, so we're staying for Free! Ryan and I are both excited to splurging a bit on nice restaurants and fun activities!

AND: Ryan's parents have decided that since they are traveling this far for the wedding, might as well spend some vacation time as well! They are renting out a beach house for the whole family the week after Ryan and I get married. No worries, Ryan and I will be able to spend a few days with them at the end of the week. The beach house will be on Hilton Head Island, also located in South Carolina. Check out this beach:

Lots of R&R time. Can't wait!

Good Read!

Alright people, I just finished a great book. And it happens to be a series of books. Written by James Patterson, it is the first book of the Women's Murder Club. It is actually now a TV series. This one is called 1st to Die. I took it to the pool, to work, read it at stop lights, read it outside....you get the picture. I could NOT put it down. Patterson strategically writes his books with short chapters. My Favorite!!! Oddly enough, the story is about this serial killer who is murdering brides and grooms on their wedding night. Go figure. Ryan was confused why this book interested me so much. All I know is that I'm going to the Library on Monday to get the second book of the series!!!

She's one of the Pack now

Sophie with Ryan in the background!

OK. Now here is the latest SOPHIE story. Oh, I have so many. She amazes me with something new everyday. So yesterday, Ryan won the Fiance of the Year award (yes, there is such a thing!!). Sophie and I hung out all day from 5:30am when she woke up to go pee pee until I had to go to work at 5pm. Sophie had turned in to Esophena (as I call her other bipolar personality). Esophena is aggressive, hyper, obnoxious, bites uncontrollably, barks like mad, pees on the carpet multiple times...I could go on and on. Ryan decided that he would come over around 8ish and hang out with Sophie until I got home from work at 10pm. This is the story I came home to. Ryan and her went on a walk and he saw from a distance that she had picked up a stick, or what we thought was a stick, and take off running away from the house. Ryan ran after her and as he got closer, he noticed that that stick wasn't a stick....it was a DRIED UP BLACK SNAKE!!!! ew ew ew. So he tried to get it out of her teeth and as he did so, Sophie bit Ryan's toe and it started to bleed pretty badly. She was locked away in her area for the rest of the night. Ryan threw the snake away and I am trying to convince myself that snakes aren't in North Carolina.

We gave her a bath to disinfect her of the snake-ness. Esophena went away today and Sophie came back! We were so happy to have a cute lovey puppy.

Sophie sleeps like an angel.

My Surprise Bridal Shower!!!

Let me first set this up. For a couple of weeks, the girls at work have been talking about doing a goodbye dinner for our coworker Sarah who is going to work in New York for the summer. So, we were all planning on meeting at her house at 7pm, Sunday night, and have burgers and hot dogs! I walk through the front door and I see presents...and I'm thinking, Was it someones birthday? No....okay what else? They all started screaming and it was a Bridal Shower for me!
It was hilarious. All my favorite Gap girls all together. It was so much fun. I got some good things for the kitchen and some fun stuff for the bedroom. Sorry, I'm not going to show or tell what items I got!

I will say that my dear friend Jules got me handcuffs. HA!

It was the best surprise and I had NO CLUE. Seriously. Nothing stays a secret at the GAP. I couldn't believe it. I love those girls! Thanks for a fun night!

Deutschland!

Ingrid and Rob are in Germany for the next 10 days.

!!

After I get my raise....

I have been wanting these leather Top Sider boat shoes for about......10 bazillion years. Unfortunately they are $75, but holy crap it feels like you've stepped into heaven when they are on your feet. OO! I love them. So Ryan and I have decided, once I get this promotion, I get the shoes. Hooray!

Man of many talents

Just thought I'd post about my man, Ryan. He's amazing. I'm so lucky to have him!

Our Dear Friend MA

Mary-Alice Butler is an old friend of my family's. Mary-Alice and my mom served in the Stake Young Women's back in the Bothell Stake in Seattle. Mary-Alice hadn't even met my mom when she asked the Stake Pres. if my mom would serve with her. Talk about inspiration! My mom got the call the first month we moved to Seattle!

The Butler's have 6 children and a few of them are the same age as me and my sibs. We had some good times with them holding Family Home Evening and Labor Day BBQ's. They also had an adorable boxer named Lucy. We thought Apache and Lucy were boyfriend/girlfriend. It was cute. Unfortunately they too had to put down Lucy a month ago. But, we are praying that those two dogs found each other in the Spirit World :-). MA and her family moved to Chicago about 4 years ago! Lame! But the weird coincidence is that Ryan's dad and Ray Butler work for the same company! And, since Ryan's family is moving to Chicago, they are going to try to get together. Small world! Mary-Alice and her sisters/sisters-in-laws were having a girls week and they were staying just about 20 minutes north of us in a beautiful house on Lake Norman. I was so happy MA met Ryan. We're going to try to see the Butler's when we visit Ryan's fam in Chicago. Here are some pics!

New Friends Rock!

Lately, Ryan and I have been hanging out with a super cool married couple, Brad and Hailey Kemper. We have decided that hanging out with married people is much more fun than hanging out with single friends. Brad is Ryan's childhood friend. It is the greatest thing listening to their stories...boys will be boys. Brad and Hailey have known each other since they were 8 years old. Seriously! Brad and Hailey own a sweet TV and a Wii so we have spent 2 of our nights over at their house. Pictures will come soon. Just wanted to blog and say, I'm happy I have some new friends.

The Sound of Music!

What a fun night! My future sis-in-law, Hayley, has been taking some acting classes at a performing arts school. She has been working so hard on their latest musical, The Sound of Music. Hayley is 14 and the most beauuutiful girl I have ever seen. It's been great getting to know her and talking about all our favorite Disney stars, Zac Efron, the Jonas Brothers, Mylie Cyrus...But anyways, Hayley is a STAR. She played multiple roles during the Sound of Music. Her main role was Sister Margaretta. She was also in the party scene with the waltz, the towns folk when Maria is going to the Von trap house, and was singing in almost every song. It was so fun to see her up there! Her talent is amazing! I was so proud. Ryan and I are craving to watch the movie now. The whole cast was amazing and deep down, really deep down, I wished I had gotten into musicals when I was her age. Here are some fun pics!

Wii Guitar Hero!

We had a blast! The Wii rocks. We also played Mario Kart and it was INSANE. I'm absolutely terrible at it. You steer with a wheel and it's wayyyyy to interactive for me. I'm sticking to my N64.

50 Randoms

My best friend McKenzie tagged me awhile ago to post 50 random things about myself and I'm finally getting around to it. SO here it goes.

1. I'm Canadian.
2. And proud of it. Let the jokes begin.
3. I could play Solitaire all day long.
4. I see scrap booking as a waste of time and money.
5. I'd rather buy shoes.
6. I work at the GAP.
7. And I get paid to look good.
8. I love to wear cardigans.
9. My favorite temple is Washington D.C.
10. I lived in Buffalo, New York for 3 years.
11. I've never been to Hawaii.
12. I got a mission call.
13. To Warsaw, Poland.
14. But I'm getting married instead.
15. In 84 days.
16. To the hottest man alive, Sir Ryan Briggs.
17. Even though I hate, HATE feet, I love getting my feet rubbed.
18. Ew right?
19. I try to get a manicure once a month.
20. My favorite color is blue.
21. I lost some weight this year apparently.
22. None of my 2007 summer clothes fit.
23. I think I lost 10 lbs.
24. My parents think it's because I was so stressed over the Mission/Marriage decision.
25. I believe it.
26. I have the best friends ALIVE. Shout out to 310.
27. I love seeing Ryan in white.
28. I've been to Europe.
29. Best month ever! Favorite place definitely was London!
30. I love love love to eat twizzlers pull-and-peal licorice.
31. It's a delicacy in the Steele family.
32. My sister is my hero. She rocks and looks good 24/7.
33. I have only been in one car accident.
34. And it was definitely my fault.
35. My first car was a Geo Tracker, and it was bright green with sparkles.
36. My religion is my life.
37. My family is most important to me.
38. I secretly love country music.
39. I'm obsessed with my UGG boots.
40. I think I spend more money on the GAP than I make. Go figure.
41. I love to cuddle with Ryan.
42. He makes me feel safe.
43. Not sure why I'm scared, but he gives the best hugs ever.
44. My dad is a fast runner and he kicks my butt every time we go running.
45. I love North Carolina. I've been converted.
46. Never tried grits, ew, they look disgusting.
47. My nephew Benjamin is a stud and I hope I get recognized for his Baby Gap-ness.
48. I hope I'll get another niece/nephew next year (Tiff??)
49. I miss BYU-Idaho and my old roomies :-(
50. but I am so ready to get married for Time and All Eternity!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I love you Mom!
Some reasons why I love my Mom:
1. She is an awesome cook and it has been fun learning from her over the years.
2. She loves my Dad and they show to me that you can still be deep in love after 27 years!
3. She tickles my arm whenever I stretch it out :-)
4. She loves chocolate licorice just as much as I do.
5. She has made this move to NC easy for me.
6. Our house is beautiful because of her.
7. She's 51 and super hot.
8. She has such a strong testimony of Temples and it has really helped and strengthened my testimony of temple worship and attendance. I love seeing her in white.
9. She continually supplies me with chocolate snack packs, goldfish, and diet coke.
10. She is such a beautiful person and I have really appreciated her as my best friend this last year.

Ellen and the Hawaiian Chair

BEWARE: You will fall out of your chair laughing.

Engagement Pictures!

Which one do you like?

Good Morning

Sophie has come to wake me up everyday this week. By biting my ears.

What a gem.

Thank You Sara Bareilles

Best Show.
#1. She is adorable
#2. She sounds better LIVE
#3. I wish I could play the piano like her
#4. Rachel Yamagata opened for her....I also love her
#5. It was a sold out show. Can't complain to be apart of the only 500 tickets sold.

One Year Ago

This day last year, April 29, 2007, I flew to London to start a month of traveling Europe. The group tour was with the Humanities Dept. of BYU-Idaho. My best friends Jane Metcalf and Katie Denkers and I applied together.

It was so great to travel Europe for the first time with my 2 best friends and make memories together. I think about my trip frequently and day dream about the day I will return. We were able to see SO much! The main cities we visited were London, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Florence, and Madrid.

I loved it all and would encourage everyone to make a goal to visit sometime in their life!