No, I didn't meet him on Craigslist.

Well friends, I just got back home from a lovely weekend in Arkansas.  (No, your eyes do not deceive you. I really just said wrote Arkansas.) And while that technically could be #17 of 20, I will do you one better.

I went to see my sweet friend from college and her family, one of my favorite annual events. Nicole's husband, Justin, took a position this summer as the student pastor at a church in Jonesboro, so they made the move from North Carolina. They have two of the cutest kids I have ever seen. No, really... the cutest. Well, not long after they moved, Nicole told me about this guy that worked at their church. How he was sooo fun and sooo nice and she wanted us to meet. Well, she once said the same thing about her realtor in North Carolina (who I never met), so I didn't really think much of it. That is until Justin got in on it. Somehow between the two of them... they got us to meet.  This past Thursday. In Arkansas. So...

#17 of 20: Go on a blind date.

That's right. I went out with a guy that I had never seen before. Never talked to. No phone call, text, email, tweet. Nothing. We weren't even facebook friends.

He thinks I'm crazy. He has to.

So the first second time we met was at the church staff Christmas party. Where I was, you guessed it, his date. And we sat by, you guessed it, his boss. The first time we met was earlier that day during a very Gone with the Wind staircase moment in the church foyer. I can't make this stuff up. Anyone familiar with the dynamics of a church staff know what a stir we caused. Mild awkwardness aside, we had a good time and four of us (Nicole and Justin included) have some quality inside jokes.

Well, I guess I should be expecting a phone call from my mom any minute now....

Reason #271 why the French are crazy

So you have heard of this little book. If you hadn't before last fall, Julie and Julia surely clued you in. Ah yes, the scene were Julie falls asleep while making Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon comes to mind, doesn't it?

Well, there is a reason that she fell asleep. It is the world's most time consuming recipe ever. I mean EVER. That's right. If you want to make le boeuf, just plan on committing 5 hours and all of the pots, skillets, knives and slotted spoons in your kitchen to making it. You will also want to plan on having a nice chat with the butcher at Publix when you ask him for a 6 oz chunk of bacon. (gag). Then look forward to patting meat dry. Browning it. Simmering it and let it chill like this in your oven for 3.5- 4 hours while you fix mushrooms and onions. 20 onions to be exact.

And then plan on taking it out of the oven where you will have to remove the liquid from the solid and clean your casserole, only to put it all back in and let it simmer some more. Like so....

And then you serve it over potatoes or some nice egg noodles or something. And you pray that the onion smell will leave your house and your pores by Christmas.

And how do I know? Oh, that's right....

#16 of 20: Make Julia Child's $*%# Boeuf Bourguignon

Boom. Roasted.

I have leftovers. Come on over, help yourself. Ignore the lingering onion.

December, is that you?

It is freezing in Tallahassee. Absolutely freezing. Lights are strung around town. The parking lot at the mall is full to the brim. The mass of college students that days ago made it impossible to find a table at Panera have vanished. The always anticipated Marshall Christmas card has hit the mailbox. Football season is all but over and I am looking at a candy cane. Yet, I cannot seem to wrap my mind around the fact that it is Christmas time. All signs point to yes. But, it just doesn't seem real and I can't quite figure out why. If I were Lea Marshall, I would have some profound understanding of why. I would then tell you all about it on my blog, using lower case letters and alliteration. But, if I were Lea Marshall, I would rearrange my furniture just to host a dinner party. And well, I am way too busy organizing my Netflix queue to rearrange furniture, or to cook dinner, or to... blog.  (Yes, Eva, I know. It has been a while.)

With December sneaking up on me the way it did, I now have 21 days to do FIVE things that I have never done before.  Yikes.

Don't panic. (I have that part covered.) But with panic comes a plan. I have a plan. At least I think I do. And one of those FIVE things that I have never done before is in the oven. The oven in my kitchen. That was not a euphemism. I mean my non-stainless steel appliance. (Not that I love it any less. Ok... a little less. But hey.)

To be continued...

From Hannah to Miley and back to Meghan

For the past decade, I have been an absolute slave to the master that is my hair. College kicked off a desperate attempt to resist the inevitable. My baby blonde was fading fast. Highlighting quickly became a way of life. After all, I was Meghan "The cute little blonde". I had a rep. Had to live up. Well, early last fall, I let the girl who was doing my hair at the time (read: student at Aveda) go all over blonde. And many of you remember how horrific the  news anchor blonde was. Shockingly horrific. And since Aveda is like a bad boyfriend to me, I went back. To. the. same. girl.* for a fix. A fix that involved a lot of hair dye in a lovely chestnut color. So for the first time in my life, I was a brunette. I know you all remember Lea's reaction. No?  Well, let me remind you. "Hey, that is Meghan Greene't butt, but that isn't her hair!"  Yes. She not only thought those words, but said them out loud. So, here we are 12 months later, and I have done something that I have never done in my 20s. That's right.


#15 of 20: Go a year without coloring my hair. 


Here is a recent photo taken from the last game that Florida State won. My hair is pretty darn close to natural. It really is a nice low maintenance place to be.

* Yes, it is true. She even invited me to her baby shower. Customer of the year, that's me.

A little bit of awesome. With a side of shame.

I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I think that it is best that you hear it from me. In the spirit of full disclosure, I had never been to Maclay Gardens. Gasp! I know. What kind of Tallahassean am I?  (The kind who hadn't been to Dorothy B. Oven until last Christmas- but thanks to Lea, we got that base covered.)

Last night this all changed. My Tallahassee social coordinator, Julia, put together a lovely little date for us. A picnic in the park, oh and there was live jazz. It was very romantic. (Note: there is nothing wrong with two friends going on a date. There is also nothing wrong with her boyfriend being there. Yes, I am a professional third wheel.)

And thanks to my sister, we had a super lovely wicker picnic basket. And thanks to Fresh Market it was filled with goodies. And thanks to Steve's phone, we could see once the sun set.

And thanks to Publix and their lovely BOGO items. Our signature wine made a special appearance. 

So there you have it. #14 of 20: Visit Maclay Gardens. Done and done.  (And will likely be done again.)

From Charlotte to Charlottesville

As previously mentioned, in the past two weeks, I have been on seven college campuses. Of those seven, it was my first visit ever to two of them.  (I just typed "tu-tu". I laughed. I am a nerd of epic proportions.) Of those two, one is of particular note. I have always wanted to visit the University of Virginia. Something about the Thomas Jefferson-Frances Eppes connection that I just find irresistible. (Again, nerd of epic proportions.)

#13 of 20: Visit UVA

I couldn't leave without snagging a pic of Tom Kat. I just couldn't let Julia down.

Oh, did I mention that I went with 52 college women. Well, I did. It was fun. They are fun. My job is fun.

And to boot, I ran into my college roommate on the side of the road in Charlottesville. It was the best surprise of 2010 by far. It was her son's first FSU game. He enjoyed every minute......

And the weather was delightful. It really was. I am such a sucker for good weather.

By the numbers

This is what the last 2 weeks have looked like for me...


Airplanes that I have been on: 10
Flights that have been delayed: 8
Times upgraded: 1
Times running through the airport in heels: 3
Times in Hartsfield Jackson: 3
Times in Charlotte Douglass: 4
Desk agents that complimented the aforementioned heels: 3
Cars rented: 2
Cars rented without a vanity mirror (which IMO is just stupid): 1
Nights I have spent in a hotel: 10
Hotel beds I have slept in: 5
College campuses visited: 7
Days in my office: 1
Times I had dinner with Nelly: 0
College roommates that I ran into unexpectedly in Charlottesville: 1
Times I went to Panera: 5
Hours spent on a bus: 13
Women on said bus: 54
Aspirin taken: 4


I need a nap.