Blog Challenge: DAY 4

My Parents

@ The Pacific Edge Villa during the (wedding) planning stage

(Note: This picture has been sitting uploaded in this draft for 48 hours. And about 15 minutes ago Dan pointed out to me that I've failed to update 2 days in a row now... And not that anyone cares.. but here goes: (Oh! and it's going to be brief, because clearly... it's 10:15 on a Sunday night.. and in our house.. that means bedtime.)

My parents. Unconditional Love... goes without saying. Support. Security. Funding. Best parents ever. Growing up, especially in high school, everyone had a friend who had "the cool parents." The ones who were OK with underage drinking, usually provided a place for it to happen.. and/or were out of town when it did... let you play loud music with obscene lyrics and have the door closed when you had a boy in your room... you know. I just never thought that was cool. Or maybe I did... and I'm just so enlightened now. Either way. The things that I think are cool about my parents.

1. They taught me to appreciate good food. (See previous post)

2. They taught me to appreciate good wine (with good food) and allowed me to consume moderate amounts. (I strongly believe that this influenced me to NOT abuse alcohol)

3. They never told me I could not. (In the.. follow your dreams sense). I had 7 (or 8) college majors. Transferred schools 3 times. Dyed my hair pink in the 10th grade.

4. They supported me, even when I quit (soccer in the 8th grade and SMU after 6 months).

5. They REALLY believe in me.

6. They think I'm a fabulous cook and tell me ALL the time.

7. They always planned the most elaborate and fabulous family vacations. As an adult I've come to appreciate the cost and value of vacations. These are some of my favorite memories, not because of the luxurious hotel rooms or expensive excursions (although I will say.. The Essex House Jr Suite overlooking Central Park, NYC is something I will NEVER forget) but because it was always just the 6 of us (I say that like 6 is a small number... I never really brought friends on vacations.. because there were 4 of us (kids) we always had a "buddy") but we traveled more like a team... I mean, we took up an entire row in the airplane! I think my favorite memory, or at least the one that sticks out most prominently in my mind tonight, is the night that Bruce came out. Let me explain. To preface: My dad, having worked in retail for 28 years, has (and I'm sure has always been) quite the metro-sexual. One year, in Maui, after a fancy dinner towards the end of our vacation, we piled in the rental car to drive back to the hotel. On the way, we passed the Lahaina mall... I'm really not sure why we decided to stop but we ended up wandering through countless cheesy shops. Mom got talked into some Dead Sea hand scrub. Bethany bought some "Maui Babe" tanning lotion... and Dad tried on a floppy (hawaiian print) cotton beach hat and started giving his best (stereotypical) gay guy impression. (This involved showing his fingernails (freshly buffed) and saying "Hi, I'm Bruce." Really.. the story ends there. To this day.. we give him a hard time when he's letting his Bruce show :)

8. They taught me modesty and perspective.

9. They loved me... even when I thought my (their) Macy's credit card was like an AMEX black.

10. They will always be there for me.

(Note: Dan's irritated that I'm still awake.. and now it's 10:50pm. REALLY BEDTIME!)

Blog Challenge: DAY 3

My first love

I can honestly say that Daniel is my first REAL love. And we all know that story. So instead I really want to blog about another first "love"... Cooking

I can't remember the moment I fell... but the relationship is definitely forever. My family loves to cook. Growing-up, my mom cooked dinner more than the average So Cal momma. Fast food was a rarity, dining out was limited to hole-in-the-wall or mom and pop shops... except for Sizzler. (Finally I understand why my mom would only let us talk her in to taking us there when Dad was our out of town. More than anything, I am thankful that I was brought up with a true appreciation for food. And not just "American" but all kinds of cuisines. Likewise, not just dining out, but cooking all kinds of cuisines. Food is so integrated in my upbringing that when I think back to my favorite holiday traditions or memories.. they're ALL about food. Italian on Valentine's Day, Tamales on Christmas Eve. My senior year of high school I decided that I wanted to have a graduation party. No streamers or cheesy "GRAD 2004" stuff... Instead I invited 12 of my closest friends over for a formal dinner party. Cocktail attire. The whole nine yards. I made tomato basil soup (I found the recipe from La Madeline... so much cream..) which I served in individual ramekins topped with puff pastry. Beef Wellington (also puff-pastry.. I was too inexperienced to see that this might have been overkill)... You get the picture. In high school, this was different... Now in my early 20s, my peers are finally on the same page. Almost. OK. Maybe it won't REALLY happen until my LATE 20s.

My mom (and my dad) taught be to be a pinch-of-this, handful-of-that kind of cook... I still whole-heartedly practice this method... the only downside... making it taste EXACTLY the same. So this brings me to why I decided to write about this LOVE not the Dan LOVE. I made Chili this morning in the crock pot we got for our wedding. How does it taste SO different than my Mom's? Maybe in 6-8 hours....

PS. Chili does not photograph well.. so I'm going to skip that part.

Blog Challenge: DAY 2

Meaning behind your blog name.

Honestly, I wish there were more to it. Here's an excerpt from our first blog entry.. Actually, I think Daniel wrote it:

"A stand-alone sentence. Our county has in a way, become a mecca of an American sub-culture which has received more publicity than Britney Spears on a bad day in recent years. Now, be it scrutinizing or glamorizing, our coastlines and unequivocal affluence has brought the public's eye to our front door... Or at least to the back door of our beachfront home in South Laguna.
We felt called to share the more esoteric qualities and in our opinion, the best kept secrets about our locale. So as we explore, discover and drive around in my little cooper: "

Welcome to The Coop To Do.

We kept up this fun-stuff-to-do in orange county list for about 3 months, mostly dive bars and hidden beaches, then the blog slowly became more me and my to-do list, which naturally was more projects than outings. Like...that frame project (still on our walls... the closest I'm going to come to making "art". Then it became less realistic projects and more future design ideas... then personal style inspiration snuck in... and slowly it became way more pictures.. way fewer words. And now, I'm here... trying to turn that around.

(Random fact #16 I over use ellipsis, you'll come not notice that)

Blog Challenge: DAY 1

Introduce yourself, a recent picture and 15 interesting facts.

Name: Megan (Gorham) Pittman

Age: 24

Hometown: Laguna Hills, CA

Current Residence: Dallas, Texas

Daniel and I at our Wedding Oct. 10th, 2010

1. Last night was our third night sleeping on our brand new MemoryWorks mattress (Like TempurPedic... but with a Macy*s associate discount) I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm settled... I absolutely love it. I've already been awake for 2 hours and I'm thinking I might stay here all day. In those 2 hours, I finished 1 cup of coffee, the last 3 chapters of "Can You Keep A Secret?" By Sophie Kinsella (A little embarrassing, I know.. but Dan made me borrow it from the hotel we stayed at on our Honeymoon.. and I was determined to finish it.) This is relevant because I'm sort-of thinking that revealing 15 interesting facts is kind-of like revealing 15 little secrets.

2. We (my husband, Daniel, and I) just moved into our first house, a darling early 1900s pier and beam house, 1700sq feet, high ceilings, SMALL closets, hardwood floors throughout.. and I'm finding it surprisingly harder to decorate than I anticipated. I mean... I've been collecting inspiration for 10 years...

3. I'm currently employed by Macy*s department stores as a Fine Jewelry Sales Manager at the Town East Mall. Bottom line, the mall is somewhat ghetto, but the diamond business is fabulous enough to make up for the less than stellar salary (Not really) and I have built a truly wonderful team. I intend on making some serious alterations to my career after the 1st of the year.

4. Last year, for my birthday, my mom gave me a sewing matching and Daniel gave me lessons at a local shop. If I died tomorrow... on of my biggest regrets would be not using either.

5. My grandmother (mom's mom) had polio and was in a wheelchair all of my life. She passed away a little over 5 years ago (which was about 3 years later than anticipated) and I still find myself thinking about how much I miss her. Even more-so how much my mom must miss her and how special the bond between mother-daughter is. I secretly wouldn't mind having all girls.

6. Speaking of kids.. I'm conflicted when it comes to when.. now or later. I want them. 3, I think. Either way, I think about it all the time. I've definitely felt the instinctual twang in my belly for a baby.

7. I love making lists. To-Do lists, Shopping lists, wish lists. Crossing things off them is even better. Sometimes, I even add "done" things to the list.. just so I can have the pleasure and sense of accomplishment of crossing it off. (I get this from my grandfather (mom's dad).

8. I love blankets. I can't sit on the couch and watch a movie (or TV) without a blanket... even in the middle of summer.

9. I love to cook but can never seem to find the time. When I figure out #3 I'll make sure it allows for time for cooking/home improvement.

10. I haven't actually run a mile (on a track or treadmill) since the 8th grade. We talk about joining a gym all the time.. but again... never seem to find the time. Again, when I figure out #3...

11. I still can't believe that Daniel and I are homeowners!

12. We got married one month ago today (and as much as I think it's TOTALLY silly to measure anniversaries in months) I can't believe how fast it's flown by. Our wedding was more spectacular than I could have ever imagined or planned. I can't believe how perfectly it all came together. And as daunting as I'm finding the task of TY notes... I'm excited to communicate gratitude to all of our friends and family who got to share the day with us.

13. We will likely NEVER go back to Mexico.

14. Our top travel destinations (hopefully likely vacations in the next 2-3 years, definitely modest, not extravagant in any way-- because we're both way more motivated to find new (fulfilling) jobs... meaning lack of TOTAL financial stability) are: #1 Napa/ Nor Cal to do the wine/beer thing. #2 NYC #3 So-Cal Mountains (Big Bear), New Mexico or Colorado to go skiing.

15. I'm already formulating my New Years Resolutions (Yes, It's a list.)

30 Day Challenge

Initially I intended for this blog to be a giant to-do list of all the things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see and well as reviews and recaps of the checked-off items. Slowly, I became less interested in writing and more interested in posting images.. mostly design or fashion related. (I even created a second blog for wedding inspiration and the related). Quickly, I realized that I really wasn't doing anything but reposting stuff (so I moved to tumblr) that was already out there... collecting it as inspiration. Since I highly doubt that I have much of a following and am finding myself in need of a more private journaling and documenting outlet, I'm going to pick-up where I left off here.

Saw this idea on my dear friend, Ashley's, blog and I'm going to use it to help guide a month of updates.

30-day Blog Challenge
Day 1:Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts.
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name.
Day 3: Your first love.
Day 4: Your parents.
Day 5: Your siblings.
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy.
Day 7: Favorite movies.
Day 8: A place where you've traveled.
Day 9: A picture of your friends.
Day 10: Something of which you are afraid.
Day 11: Favorite T.V. shows.
Day 12: What you believe.
Day 13: Goals.
Day 14: A picture you love.
Day 15: Life motto/inspirational quote.
Day 16: Dream house.
Day 17: Something you're looking forward to.
Day 18: Something you regret.
Day 19: Something you miss.
Day 20: Nicknames.
Day 21: Picture of yourself.
Day 22: Favorite city.
Day 23: Favorite vacation.
Day 24: Something you've learned.
Day 25: Put your iTunes on shuffle; name the first ten songs.
Day 26: Picture of your family.
Day 27: Pets.
Day 28: Something that stresses you out.
Day 29: Three wishes.
Day 30: A closing picture and something of which you are proud.