For Rent

I Would Much Rather Poke Myself in the Eyeballs with Chopsticks.

I am apartment hunting and right now, poking myself in the eyeballs repeatedly with chopsticks sounds more desirable and more productive. I have lived in my current apartment for almost 2 years now. While the first year I had no issues, the past eight months has been problem after problem. Hello, they threw away my wreath because they thought it was a Christmas decoration...it was not. Plus I'm ready to be a little closer to work. This process has been nothing short of a nightmare. As with any experience with moving it is a nightmare. I'm not even to the point where I have to start packing. By the way, packing brings out the worst in me. I might yell at you. I'm sorry ahead of time. There are budgets to keep in mind, locations, pet policies, and other things that I feel like I need in my home. 

I have spent weeks looking and driving all over South Tulsa and Broken Arrow. I have an ever growing stack of brochures, spent countless hours looking through websites and reviews, and toured 20 different apartment complexes. AND I JUST WANT TO BANG MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL. 

I felt like I would have found the perfect place and then: "oh yeah, no pets allowed," "oh yeah, there are no washers and dryers in the units or hook ups, you would have to take your laundry somewhere else." "oh yeah we have a wait list that goes into November." And my personal favorite..."I have nothing and won't have anything, you don't need to stay." Never mind at this point I would much rather poke myself in the eyeballs with flaming hot chopsticks. 

Let me just address this because the question has been raised, "Meghan why don't you buy a house?" Here is the simplest answer, No. I have some other financial goals that I want to accomplish before taking that next step. For right now, renting is the perfect thing for me and I don't want to mow a yard. Ever.

I have some time before my current lease is up and that gives me some time to make some decisions and I find a place that fits my needs. But For the Love, I just hope that my sanity doesn't go out the window before then. 

Daddyo

Happy Father's Day!!!

To all of you dads out there: biological dads, step dads, adopted dads, foster dads, spiritual dads, or if you are mentor dad to anyone on the planet, happy happy day too you! Thank you for leading your families and leaving legacies!

Let me just tell you about my Dad, he is the coolest person on the planet. He is the most extroverted introvert I have ever met. His sense of humor, it is weird. Example: every year for Christmas he asks for socks and underwear, it never fails socks and underwear are on his Christmas list. This past Christmas he got a tablet, which for my dad who is permanently stuck in technology era of 1999 with his Nokia flip phone, this is a big deal. His response, "I'm joining the 20th century, now you people can't make fun of me." Ummm sure Dad, welcome to the 21st century, but that is okay. Now don't worry he did get his socks and underwear for Christmas. In fact on Christmas morning after we opened gifts and got ready to go to my aunt's for Christmas lunch, he gathered my brothers and I around and told us "I have something very important to tell all three of you. I'm very comfortable in my new Christmas underwear." He says it calmly with a straight face and walks away.My brothers and I just stared at each other and bust out laughing. As a kid, my mom had to be at work at 7:30 so she was already on her way to work by the time we were up and moving around, so that meant that my dad to handle getting us all ready for school.  I am not a morning person. The only day I'm a morning person is on December 25th, and even then it is iffy. So on those mornings when I was looking and acting in a lovely (read grumpy) mood, my dad would grab me by the arms and get in my face and scream "it's a beautiful morning!!!" I would crack a smile, but please understand I really just wanted to punch him in the face. Because he is my father, I didn't. 

As funny as my Dad is, he set the bar high for any other man in my life. He is simply the best. This God fearing, John Wayne loving, Sci-Fi nut, teddy bear of a guy is best out there. He is a leader and innovator in his industry. I look at the countless lives and families that my father has impacted and he has left a legacy. If you don't know what my Dad does he is the executive director of a non profit Sheltered Workshop that provides job training and life skills training for adults with disabilities. He has sacrificed so much of himself to make sure that he not only provided for his family but for his clients and their families. He loves his clients and I love it when they light up whenever he enters the room! He has taught me about hard work and determination. He has taught me to always work with a standard of excellence and he taught me how to lead others and demand that same standard of excellence. He has shown selfless love everyday of my life, and cared for his parents in their final days and was a source to comfort as we all grieved through that process. 

So William Bradley Loyd, I hope that you enjoy your John Wayne DVD box set, but please know what your real present from me is accurately displayed in this e card. xoxoMeggio!

Sense from the Senseless

How Do You Make Sense out of the Senseless?

9 lives. Gone. Families and a community left to pick up the pieces. On Wednesday night one man sat though a time of Bible Study and prayer and then open fired killing 9 people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. When I checked my Twitter feed that night I read the news and tears started freely flowing. These individuals had come together as the body of Christ, to study the word of God and to cover each other, their families, and their community in prayer. My heart broke. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. But how do you put into words your feelings regarding such a senseless tragedy and were do we go from here, how do we respond? Since Wednesday night we have read, heard, and seen much debate on race in America and gun control, but that is not the purpose of this post, if you want to have those discussions with me, lets get coffee and talk it over. For me, my response is with the powerful, scandalous, life changing love of Jesus. 

Love

The love of Jesus is just so crazy to me. His love was so great for us that He gave up His very life so that we might have life. He is a light in a dark world and shines bright. It could be so very easy to get trapped in a cycle of hate. To allow fear and anger to take over our hearts, and forget about the love that was lavished on us. I am not going to lie, I was mad and angry when I first heard the news. My brothers and sisters in Christ had gathered to study God's Word and to pray, and while they were doing that a man filled with evil and darkness sat and listened to their discussions and their prayers and then he opened fire and took their lives. I was filled with hate and anger. But then like a ton of bricks, which is how God does it so many times, I realized I was becoming a part of the cycle of hate. I was meant to be a source of light. 

Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Simply put while it is okay to mad and angry, we must not become a part of the cycle of hate, but in order to bring true healing to a broken and hurting world, we must bring love. We must show the love and the light of Christ. As I began to wrap my head around this concept, I began to feel peace. 

What Now?

So where does this leave us? Where do we go from here? The first thing we get down on our knees and we wrap the community of Charleston in prayer. We are the Church, the church is not a building but the Bride of Christ, we act like accordingly. We show love and we show light. We live out the verse of Micah 6:8 out, We act justly, we love mercy, and we walk humbly with our God. We act justly by seeking justice against those that harmed and endangered the Body of Christ, we love mercy by showing mercy to even the least of these, fully knowing that our God has already shown mercy, and we walk humbly knowing that even in the darkest of situations God is at work. 

To the families of my fallen brothers and sisters, I pray for peace and for comfort. I pray that you will be surrounded by the comforting and powerful love of Christ. I pray that you will be able to face the next day and the day after that, fully knowing that some days you just have to take it five minutes at a time. I pray that you will never feel alone but covered with compassion and grace. 

To the church leaders of Emanuel AME Church, I thank you for your leadership. I pray for healing for your church family and I pray for wisdom and discernment in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. You are so deeply loved. 

To the community leaders of Charleston, South Carolina, I pray for wisdom and guidance. I pray over your leadership as you begin to heal your community.

For the Church in America, I pray that we do not turn a blind eye. I pray that we will live out the high calling of Christ to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, and that we will love our neighbors as ourselves. I pray that we will not be consumed with hate but instead consumed with God's love and show it everywhere and to everyone.

It may not seem like it now, but I know that in this situation, what Satan intended for evil, God will use for good. Hell doesn't get the victory. Because that battle has been fought and it has won, only by the blood of Christ.

Spiders

I Hate Them.

For the love, I hate spiders. I know, some you people will say that they do good things like kill unwanted bugs like mosquitoes, but I still hate them. Even watching Charlotte's Web didn't change my mind, I will forever and always hate them. I once pepper sprayed a spider on my door handle to my apartment. Once a spider bit my cat and she had to get treatment, it was determined that was a brown recluse spider, and I never found it. I didn't sleep for days. Clearly sometimes your only option is to burn the house down. Just calmly walk away and burn it with fire! 

My latest adventure with a spider was entertaining to say the least. I'm sure that if it was filmed it would have won 100,000 dollars on America's Funniest Home Videos (yes I still watch that show, child of the 90s hello)! For the record, I am single and I will not use this blog to talk about that part of my life, but here is the one time when I will. I need one of those husband things that people keep pressuring, I mean telling, me about solely for the purposes of killing the spiders. Because when you live by yourself and you have to handle said creature of evil, things get tricky. 

So I'm home after a fairly long day, and I'm sitting in my recliner watching Netflix and then I see it. The spider. On the ceiling. It was the size of my face. Okay maybe not big, but whatever it's my story I can tell it however I want too. At first I screamed. Then I grabbed a broom to get it off the ceiling so I could kill it. I hit the creature of evil with the broom and it fell on my head and was in my hair. IT WAS IN MY HAIR!! When it landed on my head I threw the broom that was in my hand, the broom that I intended to use to beat the thing with, it was now no where in my reach. At this point I'm jumping up and down and screaming. I shake the spider out of my hair, and then it was on the floor. I was barefoot so stepping on it was not an option. I grabbed the only thing that I had within reach. A lamp. I killed a spider with a lamp. I picked it up and used the base of the lamp to kill it. This all happened in about 30 seconds, but it felt like an hour. For the Love, I immediately took a shower and washed my hair five times, because you know for the .5 seconds that spider could have laid eggs in my hair. 

  

Cares.

Every human being on this planet Earth is looking for two things: someone to love and someone to love them. Relationships are the driving force of how we live our lives. Everyone is looking for someone, not only just for the idea that we are cared for, but so we can care for someone or something.

Everyone has something or someone that they deeply love and care for, that gives their lives some sort of purpose. There is just something about us as people that drive us to love and care for people, animals, plants, and hobbies. Those things give us a sense of contentment and happiness. 

Some people love and care for plants. I am not a green thumb. To quote my friend Rebecca, "I am a black thumb." I am plant hospice. I ease the transition from life to death for plants. If you have a plant you want to get rid of send it to me, I will take care of it. I have killed a cactus.While I might not be able to care for plants, I love and appreciate those that do. Many people pour countless hours into their gardens and house plants. Making sure their flowers, trees, fruits, and vegetables receive that right amount of sunlight, grow in the right soil, and get enough water. My Grandpa Loyd showed this kind of love towards his roses. My Papa grew the most beautiful roses. He showered them with so much love and care. How beautiful is that? 

Some people love and care for their children. I don't have children and they aren't really in my plan for anytime soon, but I love watching families. I love watching parents take their kids to parks, attend their concerts, go to robot and airplane building sessions, and I could go on and on. But what is at the root of this is they just love their kids and love to take care of their kids. They lovingly discipline their children when they need it and then shower them with love and quality time. They provide and make sacrifices for their children, so they can provide them the best life possible. I love it when I log onto Facebook and I see pictures of my guy friends with daughters having tea parties, or my girlfriends playing football with their sons. Coloring pictures, rolling around on the floor, stepping on Legos (1st level of Dante's Inferno by the way), all of it because they love to care for their kids. I love watching adults do things that to other adults look ridiculous but for the sake of how much they love their kids! I do want a family one day and I hope I am half of the parent that my parents and my friends are to my future children. 

Some people love and care for their parents. My generation's grandparents are getting older and now we are watching our parents lovingly care for their parents. I think about my mom who visits her mom in the nursing home daily and on the days that she can't make it over there she makes sure my dad or my brothers are there. I think about my dad and his siblings as they cared for my grandparents in their final days. I love that and I'm scared of at the same time.

Some people love and care for their hobbies. Fishing, knitting, cycling, swimming, sewing, quilting, crafting, blogging, and etc. etc. etc. They do everything with excellence. These things take time and a lot of dedication. They are very loved indeed.

Some people care for their pets. I'm going to spend some time on this one. Fur babies are just that, our babies. My little Stardust, she is the best part of my life. Over a year ago, I just went to a pet store to look around. Just going to pet stores to look around is a bad idea. Don't do it unless you are ready to walk out the door with a new family member. While I was there this little brown and black tortoise shell cat reach out of her cage and grabbed a hold of my scarf, she chose me. That day a little cat that was left in a trash bag with the rest of her litter outside of a QuikTrip, came home with me to her forever home. I needed something to care for, I am horrible at caring for plants, I don't have kids, and at the time my hobbies where napping and drinking coffee(okay they are still my hobbies). So that day a little cat named Stardust came home with me. She is my favorite part of my day! She is funny and playful and yet still manages to sleep all the time. She climbs on bookshelves, hops on ceiling fans, and likes to steal pizza rolls. I can't be sitting in my recliner without her laying on me. I love caring for her and having her in my life. Call me a crazy a cat lady, but I don't care. I may not have children, but for right now, she is my kid, and I love caring for her. Even when she wakes me up at 5:30 in the morning wanting to be fed. She has taught me how to not be selfish or self centered, but to put others first. Rescuing and adopting her has been one of the best decisions of my life. For the Love she is simply the best.

Increase Instructional Quality and Efficiency.

When I started this blog I promised myself that I wouldn't write posts that cause me to rant and rave on a certain topics. However something has come up that I can't remain silent, and it has left me angry, upset, and heartbroken. Last week it was announced that Atlanta Public Schools would be cutting its elementary band and orchestra programs. Eighteen music teachers lost their jobs. Eighteen teachers. Heartbreaking. In the first reports there were many miscommunication issues, that included that all music programs in elementary schools had been cut. While I am happy that is not the case, this is still far from an ideal situation. Below is a news link to a local Atlanta new station, the covered the issue.

Read Story Here.

The teacher featured in this story gave 27 years of his life and teaching to APS, and he is told you no longer have job. There hasn't been much discussion in the news, but from what I can gather there were no discussions over the future of these programs with the teachers involved, the schools involved, and the decision makers for APS.  I even wonder if site administers where informed in a timely manner about the programming changes that would be occurring. But here is what really made me mad, APS stating that eliminating these programs would "mirror the district's direction to increase instructional quality and efficiency." That is a slap in the face to every music teacher at any grade level from elementary to college and subject level from general, vocal and instrumental music. To say that eliminating any music program would increase instructional quality and efficiency, is not only offensive, but it is harmful and dangerous.

In order to be certified music teacher in any state you have to have some form of a Bachelor's in Music. Let me tell you, obtaining a music degree is not easy! There are countless of hours that are poured into this degree. This includes music theory, ear training, sight singing, private lessons in an applied area of study, private lessons in a secondary area of study, conducting, education method classes, music history classes, performance recitals, ensembles, and not to mention the other requirements of the college that the student is attending. We are already qualified! I'm not naive to believe that all music teachers are amazing and can solve all of the world's problems, I know that there are bad teachers. However, I know more great and amazing teachers than bad ones.

I provide instructional quality and efficiency everyday. In my middle school choir class I teach literacy, numeracy, historical context, scientific concepts, and citizenship all while kiddos are learning to sing. And guess what? My students have no idea they are getting those things, they just think that they are learning to sing, and it is funny when they figure it out. "Miss Loyd this is choir and you tricked me into doing math!" For the Love, it is hilarious when they figure that out. Music teachers educate the whole the child. Children should be receiving a quality, well-rounded education. Students need a wealth of educational experiences, not just one side. These are things that will make them successful in higher education.

So today my heart is breaking for my colleagues in Atlanta Public Schools looking for new jobs. To you I say, you are qualified and you are efficient. I'm sorry that you were treated in this manner, you deserved so much better. My heart also breaks for the students of these programs, you deserved so much better. Please do not let this stop your musical studies. Music changed my life and it will change your life.

Donuts!!!!

Happy National Donut Day Eve!!! June 5th is one of the happiest day's ever National Donut Day! So all across America tomorrow you can get free donuts, half price donuts, discounts on donuts, so really if you wanted to you could have donuts at every meal. Breakfast, dessert with lunch, dessert with dinner, and a midnight snack! If you spell it donut, or doughnut, we can all agree that they are awesome.

But did you know that National Donut Day has some historical background? Well I didn't until I was reading an article in today's Tulsa World.

"Started as a fundraiser by The Salvation Army in Chicago during the Great Depression, National Doughnut Day honors military veterans and commemorates the work of Salvation Army volunteers who used the tasty confection to comfort American soldiers in France and Germany during World War I. These female volunteers earning nickname "Doughnut Lassies' and "Doughnut Girls", friend the doughnuts in soldiers' helmets and served countless treats to the grateful troops."-Nicole Marshall Tulsa World.

How wonderful is that!!!! I just thought it was something made up by Donut Shops, but it has real and important meanings. I remember hearing my grandparents Great Depression stories, and maybe even the worst days could have been brighter with a donut. I know my horrible days/mornings are made better with donuts! On of the biggest servant heart ladies that I know, Anita Newport, brings donuts every other Friday and it is awesome! Thank you Anita! I encourage you to not only get donuts for yourself tomorrow, but take a dozen or two to people you love! Share the love of donuts!!!

If you live in the Tulsa area check out Krispy Kream for free donuts or go to any Merritt's Bakery and if you buy one dozen donuts you get the second dozen free. Also Merritt's will be donating 10 percent of all donut sales to the Salvation Army. So enjoy your donuts tomorrow!!!!

Summer Time!!!!!

Summer is here!!!! Yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayaya!!! If you can't tell I'm really excited. So here it is the MegLo Summer 2015 Bucket List. One of the great things about Bucket Lists is you don't have to do it all alone, so come and join me for some summer fun! Share your bucket lists in the comments, and let me know how they are going! It is going to be a summer to remember!!

MegLo's Summer 2015 Bucket List

1. Visit Every Sno-Cone Stand in the Tulsa Metro. I love Sno-Cones! Because of my love for Sno-Cones it is my quest to find the most perfect sno-cones. I love Josh's Sno-Cones, but I'm excited about finding other Sno-Cone loves. Sno-Cones are community treats. You can't eat a Sno-Cone by yourself, Sno-Cones are meant to be enjoyed with friends. So if you are bored and you need some fun lets go get Sno-Cones!!!

2. Boil A Lobster. I don't know why I want to do this, but I do. And it is my bucket list so I can do whatever I want. I do love lobster but I have never cooked one myself. It could be interesting.

3. Set Up A Hammock In The Park. I have so many friends that do this all the time and I'm slightly envious. Okay, I'm really envious. How much fun could this be?!?! Set up a hammock, lay out, and read all day. Perfection.

4. Get My Kodaly Level One Certification. So this is something I have wanted to do since I graduated but I have never taken the first step. Well this summer is the summer! I'm registered and I have started to purchase textbooks. It is really happening!! #musiceducationnerdforlife

5. Grab Coffee With Someone New Once A Week. I love coffee. Coffee isn't so much of a noun in my life, but a verb. I love my friends and I love coffee. Once a week I just want to grab coffee and talk about life, Jesus, careers, family, and anything else under the sun. You can learn so much about a person when you just take time to get to know them. Sharing coffee with them a great way to get to know a person and invest in that relationship.

6. Read Everything Written By Christine Caine. I am so inspired by this women. Her love and passion for the Lord shines in everything that she does, I'm so challenged whenever I hear her speak, read her blog, or listen to her podcasts. She has written some pretty awesome books and I haven't had the chance to read them. Summer is a perfect time to do so. Plus who doesn't love challenging things!

7. Pool Time. No need to explain this one.  

8. DIY Projects. I love watching DIY shows and hello I'm a Pinterest addict. So I want to try out new DIY projects and decorate my home. Please note I'm not the most crafty person ever and my crafts tend to look like they were made by a six year old. So I might need some help. Okay....I might need a lot of help. 

9. Love Well. This summer more than anything I just want to learn how to love well. Because sometimes there are some people, some groups of people, and some circumstances where it is hard to love well and to love others. I want to grow in my love for God, for myself, for my family, for my friends, and for my community. 

So what are your plans this summer? What is on your bucket list? Let's journey together and have some fun!!