I share my life online, oftentimes without much thought, but I have to say that this post makes me nervous.

Every month, I post a link to my Sponsorship page and say, "I have some ad spots available for next month!" And I was going to do that again today, but we're just seven days away from the road to Minnesota; and I haven't told you the plan yet.

So, the plan.

The plan is for me to finish that recipe book I may have told some of you about over the winter, the one that I was so excited about and then ran out of time and energy to work on it. I need to find something that makes it feel more like an e-book and less like a Word document. It's going to have some recipes from here, but the majority of recipes will be new ones that you've never seen, and I can't wait to share it with you.

The plan is to continue on with Cave Girl Consulting--to use my passion for Paleo and help people tackle that lifestyle change.

And the plan is for me to write every day. Not just this is what I did all weekend, look at some photos, but also the real, honest-to-goodness writing that I haven't made time for over the past six months or so. Also weekly recipes, What I Wore posts, and a YouTube channel that consists of more than just videos of me taking tequila shots.

Am I supposed to tell you this? For a while I felt like I wanted to just move and start posting more frequently and with better quality content, and you'd wake up one morning and think "Wow, this girl is cool!" But at the same time, I feel anxious every day about being self- (or, rather un-)unemployed, and I want you guys to know that I have bigger dreams than simply becoming a stay-at-home wife.

So yes, I want you to sponsor my blog if you're looking for a place to advertise. But more than that, I want to know what you think. I want to know if you think I'm trying too hard, or if I come off as insincere in some way. Because I may want to do this, but I don't want to be an idiot about it.

Thanks for hanging with me. This blog has helped me transition through so many things, and I'm hoping to lean on it even more from now on. I wouldn't be the person I am if it weren't for the people I have met by blogging--there are three girls in my wedding party who can attest to that.

This is a life that I couldn't imagine not having.

I went on a run yesterday; the kind where it's muggy and hot outside and you think about huge things while you lose your breath and sweat quickly covers your body. I told myself to run twenty minutes, and I started fast, and then thirty minutes passed, and I told myself to run some more.

It was hot and the sky looked like thunder and my legs felt like bricks and I just kept going. I didn't start out with grand thoughts about life, because I started out with basic thoughts about running, but the former evolved from the latter because that tends to be the way it works when you're running.


I got so comfortable that I forgot what the edges of my comfort zone felt like. But I like being in that space. I need it.

ONE | My hair is naturally very straight, and I think it probably looks fine when I wear it straight, but I hate it. Maybe I've been curling it for too long and it feels unfinished to me, or maybe I'm just weird, but I love straight hair on other people and think I look like such a dork when mine isn't curled at least on the ends.

TWO | I am an alien without eyeliner. Again, I'm sure it's not really that bad. But I just really like eyeliner.

THREE | I've been referring to milk as "cow pus" in my head for almost a year now, because milk makes me so sick but I love it so much. It mostly works, unless I have a tablet for lactose-intolerance in my bag and I'm at a coffee shop with whole milk and then I'm all,"Give me a latte with some of that cow pus."

FOUR | I've been really bad about working out lately, so I try to sneak exercise in to daily activities, which means that on any given morning, you can find me doing lunges in my shower and while I brush my teeth, and on a normal evening I am on the floor doing push ups after sending an email, and pumping out a few jump squats while bacon fries up on the stove.

FIVE | I am some kind of Virginia Mosquito delicacy. I spend the summer covered in the itchiest bites and I can't help but scratch the shit out of them and talk about how much I hate the summer while I bleed.

SIX | I put a scarf or a newspaper or a paper towel (anything, really) on my dog's head and sing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Mis to him almost every night after dinner. My family also randomly surrounds him and sings "I Love You Like a Love Song, Rocky" and "Hey Rocky, You're So Fine" (renditions of Selena Gomez's and Toni Basil's songs, respectively).

SEVEN | I regularly spank my mom while walking past her like we're on the same football team or something.

I've been seeing this post around a bit lately, and I liked it. I had planned to write one for you today, and then sort of changed my mind, and then my friend Jenna sent me and the girls an email saying that those were actually her posting plans for Thursday, and she would like us to please join her. So here we are.

I like to think that I keep things real on this blog, and seriously--I try to. But there are a lot of random things about me that just don't fit into my everyday posting, and so you might not know them. So here we are...again.

If you really knew me, 

...you'd know that I am such a morning person. I love going to bed early and I love nothing more than waking up with the sun, drinking a cup of coffee, and looking out the window before the day begins.

...you'd know that I say I'm done with my master's degree because I finished my thesis, but really, I still have to edit a bibliographic essay and I'm just so tired of the whole thing that I felt like I needed a little break.

...you'd know just how much this new job means to me. I had no idea what I was going to end up doing for what feels like a very long time now, and now I have this desk and these co-workers and this responsibility that I care so much about already.

...you'd know how good I can be at holding a grudge, and how hard I try not to. In high school and the beginning of college, I could really write someone off without even thinking twice about it. Now, I try to let go in a way that's a lot less severe, which seems to work out better for everyone.

...you'd know how much I love to run. CrossFit was fun. It's not really fitting into my schedule anymore. And that feels okay to me. I am so excited to make time for running again.

...you'd know that I am a very anxious person sometimes. I have lots of irrational fears that don't feel so irrational to me.

...you'd know that sushi is still my favorite food, Paleo or not. It reminds me of being in high school, having lunch with my friends, caramel lattes, and getting my nails done.

...you'd know that I absolutely cannot keep my bedroom organized for long.

...you'd know that fall is my favorite season and that after July 4th, I start to hallucinate that the air is getting cooler and smells like leaves until October comes. I wear jeans before it's appropriate and start to sweat, upset that it's only August.

...you'd know just how quirky I am. I talk in weird voices and laugh all the time and I am always hungry.

+ You are too old to allow anyone to make you feel badly about yourself. Don't waste any more time on someone who consistently makes you feel like crap. Just move on. You're a grown-up! You deserve good people in your life.

+ You are too young to settle. Mediocre friends, a job you hate; anything that breeds negativity. Get rid of it.

+ Don't you dare feel bad about feeling good about yourself.

+ You are capable of feeling grief that you never thought was possible. Someone will probably dump you. People will die. Life will change, and you will freak out about it. You won't know how to deal with it, and then one day, you will.

+ Figure out what works for you and do it. The way you work, the way you eat, the way you deal with stress--just find out how you manage life the best and do it that way. Don't worry if it's not the way other people do it.

+ Just be nice. Stop judging. People are going to blow your mind sometimes, but you have no idea why they do what they do. Even if you're pretty sure, just stop and focus on bettering yourself instead. Pointing out someone's flaws doesn't make you any less flawed.

+ Someone else's success doesn't make you a failure. Get over it.

+ You truly get what you give. Work hard, laugh hard, love a lot, have fun, and really take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

+ Forgive, and then forget, dammit! Let go of the grudges. Move on with your life.

+ There is truly no limit to what the power of thinking positively can do for you. Visualize what you want from your life and focus on that every day. Inspire yourself with your thoughts and good things will follow.

+ Just love yourself, unconditionally. No explanation needed.

I tried to write an introduction to this post, but I can't seem to do it justice. So without further ado, I give you my boyfriend.
I was asked to take a minute out of my time to comment on what it's like to live with the Freckled Italian herself. Although she has many adorable qualities, it can be quite creepy to sleep next to Megan sometimes.
What comes to mind when you think of a horror movie? Do you think of small, pale children murmuring nonsense coupled with maniacal laughter in the middle of the night? Well, that's just a reality for me.

Megan often laughs and murmurs in her sleep. I've learned how to take advantage of the situation, so I ask her questions about what's so funny or what she's saying. Here are a few of the most recent conversations we've had while she was deep in her dreaming. (By the way, she never remembers any of these).

Megan: It's already in it.
Rob: What is?
M: The stuff is already in it.
R: What stuff?
M: I already put the stuff in it!

M: It...it just bothers me. I don't know. I just don't get it.
R: What bothers you?
M: It's just a little button!

Perhaps a Pinterest inspired chat:
M: It's so ugly.
R: What's ugly?
M: Her pins! She just has such ugly pins!

M: Naked cats.
R: What?!
[she laughs, a lot]
M: Naked cats. Just some puppies or somethin? Like a cappucino. I remember watching the puppies.




PS from Megan:
This is just a fraction of the things that I say when I'm asleep. Rob actually writes a lot of them down when they happen. He's agreed to grace this blog every month or so with some hilarious sequel posts! Also, I am awake as I write this.