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thank you, next (2018)

by greenhalghmeganLeave a Comment on thank you, next (2018)

It’s been a while since I last posted on this site. Lately, it’s been extra therapeutic to take pen to paper and journal the old fashioned way — plus I’m out of photo memory here and don’t want to pay for more. For some reason online journaling requires images??

 

I really enjoy reading back through my yearly highlights so I know it’s March but, Imma do it.

 

2018 here we were.

January

We celebrated Dallin’s 29th Birthday with a quiet dinner in Prospect Heights. Earlier in the day Dallin thought he was dying of an allergic reaction, so dinner was a pleasant reminder that sometimes it’s just nice to be alive.

The world coined a new term: ‘Bombcyclone’. Dallin and I worked from home in our pajamas and tried not to freeze. It was so cozy.

Dallin started a graphic design program in Manhattan.

 

February

In February my Commodity team nominated me as a 2018 Notable for the Fragrance Foundation. I was so honored!! My mom even traveled to NYC for the awards ceremony.

While my mom was here we laid in bed and watched the entire season of Big Little Lies and honestly it’s in my top 10 favorite memories with her.

 

March

I started to think about maybe applying for graduate school.

We started to think about maybe finding cheaper rent to pay for said graduate school.

March was a lot of thinking and talking.

 

April

Dallins’ sister, Aubree, came to visit us! This is when she told us she’d be marrying the love of her life that coming summer. It’s a moment I won’t forget, especially since it wasn’t the first time she told me.. I just ignored the first time!! Damn text messages.

Dallin graduated from his graphic design program.

We moved! Yay cheaper rent!

May

We went to the “Honorable William Wall” with some of our favorite friends. Highly recommend – an amazing NYC experience.

I submitted my application for graduate school (late, but I did it).

 

June

We celebrated my birthday with my BFF Sara not the country singer Evans in NJ by laying in the sun all. day. long. Subsequently, I suffered the worst sunburn of my life – my shins are still red!!

Dallin and I took a random Friday off work to see The Heavenly Bodies exhibit at the MET. It was a the most perfect NYC day.

I saw Kacey Musgraves and Harry Styles live so I can check that off the bucket list. She was a spiritual experience I wasn’t prepared for.

 

July

WE GOT A PUPPY!! Definitely the highlight of my 2018 was finally convincing Dallin that we needed a furry friend. We rescued Zini and our lives have been forever changed. We love him!

Basically the rest of July is us planning our lives around going to the park with Zini + his auntie Sara Ma.

 

August

We visited Utah to attend Aubree’s wedding! It was such a beautiful ceremony. It was so nice to see so many friends and family gather to support both Aubs and Justin.

Commodity threw a big party on a boat!! It was such a fun night celebrating with all the people who have helped get this brand where we are today. #teamcommodity

I was accepted to grad school and started classes late August! It was a crazy month, but it’s been wildly worth the crazy.

 

September

CONSUMED with school work!! The adjustment of full time work + part time school was something that took some getting used to.

 

October

I traveled to Europe for the very first time and it was truly a dream come true. Commodity is quickly making moves in Europe which allowed me to travel to Paris for a few meetings. It was magical. #teamcommodity

Dallin and I celebrated 6 years of being married! Year 6 has probably been my favorite yet.

I read Educated by Tara Westover and it was by far my favorite book of 2018. 10/10 would reco forever.

I saw Lily Allen live – after having just read her memoir My Thoughts Exactly – she was amazing.

 

November

I hosted my very first Thanksgiving! It was filled with love and friendship and I’d do it again.

I also attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for the first time ever – so magical.

Dallin and I attended a #myplmorning at the pier and it was probably the best day of D’s life.

 

December

I finished my first semester of grad school without dying!! I have truly enjoyed this program so much and I’m loving all the great friendships being developed because of it.

Dallin, Zini and I traveled to Utah to spend the holidays with our families. It was a great way to end the year doing some of the things I love most in life. Hiking, skiing, shopping at suburban Target, spending time with friends and family, etc..

 

Thank you to everyone who made 2018 one to remember. There were some not so fun times too – generally I’ve included some of those not so fun times in my highlights – but I decided to leave the drama for my mama this year 🙂

 

Here’s to 2019!! The year of the Dog is predicted to be very prosperous for the Monkey (me) so cheers to this glorious year. #chinesenewyear

 

xoxo

– Maggie

 

 

featured, NYC, random, Uncategorized

Death to anyone who calls a migraine a ‘headache’

by greenhalghmeganLeave a Comment on Death to anyone who calls a migraine a ‘headache’

img_4523.jpgI am a chronic headache and migraine sufferer. Notice how I say headache and migraine sufferer. They are different, I promise. Generally these ailments are brought on by stress or not eating right so I can usually manage them. However last year, I finally decided to take action because they were ruining my life.

In 2016, I logged 13 migraines that kept me at home sitting in the dark unable to move let alone make it to the office. I can usually tell right when a headache is about to reach migraine territory. It’s right when my closing my eyelids feels like starting afire in my scalp. My vision starts to blur and I start to feel nauseous, then my neck feels sore and I can’t open my eyes unless there is total darkness. It’s so miserable.

My mom was visiting me in June last year when I was struck with a particularly outrageous migraine brought on by too much fun at Coney Island. When she saw first hand how miserable I was she suggested something called a daith piercing. She went on and on about how amazing it is for people with chronic headaches. At first I was just annoyed she was talking because I HAD A MIGRAINE. Then once the migraine subsided I was able to hear her out. I was visiting Utah in July for my friends wedding so I told her we could go check it out together when I was home.

Mom basically drove me straight from the airport, jk not really the airport, to Iris to get see about getting my daith pierced. I found a pretty piece and I thought the piercing was cute so I didn’t protest when the woman said they could pierce me up right then and there. I used the excuse that it could possibly help my migraines to get over the cost and my #mormonguilt. So I did it.

For the first few hours after getting the piercing I had a terrible headache, it didn’t cross into migraine territory, but it was a doozy. I was starting to regret my decision thinking it was going to do the opposite of what I thought it would. However, after about 2 months, it was still tender but healing nicely and I hadn’t had a headache since that initial ‘doozy’.

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Right after I had done the deed. 

Yesterday, about midday I started to get a headache. It started off pretty normal, I didn’t think much of it. By 3:00pm I knew we were headed straight to migrainville. I took off a little early from work trying to get ahead of it. I came home, took a hot shower and went straight to bed. I laid in bed for hours suffering! I felt like that scene in 500 days of Summer where they both just stare blankly and say “suffering” over and over again.

 

One doctors appointment and one cheap groupon massage later I’m now leaving migraineville and headed into headache town. I didn’t realize how nice my non-migraine life had been. I lived 8 glorious migraine-free months because of this piercing!! Now… you’re probably wondering why this news warranted a blog post – it didn’t. I’m just this happy about my piercing and the life its allowed me to have.

If you live a migraine-full life – I highly recommend 10/10.

xoxo

Maggie

churchy, Uncategorized

Where I’m at

by greenhalghmeganLeave a Comment on Where I’m at

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/this-is-what-a-mormon-feminist-looks-like

I recently came across the above article whilst perusing my Twitter feed and simultaneously stuffing my face with popcorn.

I’ve posted religious / political posts before, and looking back on them I often cringe because my opinions and views are constantly evolving, as they should be. So let me start this post off by saying, the above article accurately depicts where I’m at right now. Who knows how I’ll feel in weeks, months, years from now.

Last week I was pretty upset over Utah GOP official’s public letter criticizing the equal pay bill. So upset, that I witch cackled with glee when I heard he had resigned due to the push back. There is no denying that Green’s response is cultivated by Mormon culture. A culture in which I’m deeply connected and love.

When interviewed about the public’s reaction to his letter, Green’s response was, “I still feel government should not dictate to private establishments what they must do. I guess people don’t want to understand these basic issues.” I guess I understand what he’s getting at here. However, I’m having a hard time understanding why he feels government shouldn’t dictate private establishments but religion can?

Honestly, this is all probably a little too fresh for me to be publicly sharing my thoughts on because they aren’t fully formed yet, but the Broadly article has me feeling unusually empowered.

Because this is what a Mormon Feminist looks like –img_4602-edit

random, Uncategorized

Sara (not the country singer) Evans

by greenhalghmegan1 Comment on Sara (not the country singer) Evans

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I wrote Sara a letter a little over 7 years ago. We were about two weeks from graduating high school and I was feeling like my world was ending.

I had just decided to move to Ogden, UT (which to me and Sara might as well have been Egypt) to pursue my education. Sara was my first best friend. I don’t think I’ve ever admitted that because I had great friends in elementary and junior high. It wasn’t until I re-read this letter last week that I realized Sara was my first and will be my last sorry Dallin. So I took a little walk down memory lane and read all my journal entries where I could find Sara mentioned, which took some time because there were A LOT!

I met Sara in 8th grade sewing class. I was the new girl. I had just moved to Hillcrest Jr. High after my parents decided to ‘downsize’. As you could expect, my 14yr old self didn’t take this very well. It was my 2nd or 3rd week at Hillcrest and I had just finished having a breakdown in choir class so all the girls came flocking, ‘Are you okay?’ me: ‘Yeah, leave me alone’ JK I didn’t say that, I really said, ‘Yeah, I just miss my friends’… Playin’ the victim to get friends #itworked.

I had sewing class right after choir (geez – jr high was a cake walk) and I sat behind Sara. Sara turned around and asked me if I played Soccer, because I was wearing a USA hoodie. I said yes, even though it was my little sister’s soccer hoodie. Then she asked me to tryout for her soccer team, her dad THE BRAD EVANS *disclaimer – not the actual Brad Evans #usausausa*  was the coach and she invited me to tryout the next week. Still unsure of why I had to tryout. WE SUCKED!!

I made the team and the rest is really history. We were attached at the hip after that, two peas in a pod, together forever and all the other ones. We had many names like ‘the black haired girls’, but ‘MAMS’ was the one that stuck. Which came after we melded our team with Maddy and Andrea.

Sara was there when I had my first kiss, got my first job (free pretzels, duh), experienced my first heartbreak, when I got my first speeding ticket, when I met and fell in love with Dallin, and so many more!

Sara Evans is not a girl who settles! She get’s what she deserves because she knows she’s worth it. — Me in 2010

I love you Sara! I miss you daily and I’m so happy you and Colbs found each other.

ps. am I actually a lesbian and in love with Sara? Find out next week on “The Cotton Apricot” xoxo Gossip Girl.

 

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Lately

by greenhalghmegan2 Comments on Lately

Dallin and I have been so busy lately. It feels like 2016 is flying by, it’s going to be over in a blink. We have been living in Brooklyln for 8 months now!! I can’t believe it’s been that long, it feels like we just moved here. We’re loving living here. Brooklyn is home.

I wanted to share some pics of what we’ve been up to lately and I realized – I need to take more pictures! I want to remember all the fun things!!!

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I have a new baby nephew ^^^ We’ve been so excited for little baby Remy’s arrival and I can’t wait to karate chop those cheeks in January

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We saw my favorite band play (again). Hive Riot is a Utah band! Both times I’ve seen them play have been in NY. I love them. Look them up if you haven’t, you’ll fall in love too!

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A week or two before Halloween we went on a Ghost Tour of Greenwich Village with some great friends and I loved it! New York has so much fun history and I was eating it up. This is a picture of the ‘Friends’ apartment (although, not haunted or historical I just thought it was a touristy thing to do).

We learned all the parks in the city used to be graveyards – bodies still under there :/

We learned all of the brown street signs in the city signify that you’re in a historic district. Way cool!

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We didn’t have Halloween plans until my cousin texted me last minute and told us to meet them in the city for the Halloween parade. Donna, my cousin,  her husband and two kiddos have been traveling the country in their RV for the past year. They show up every once in a while and we try to take advantage of it whenever they pop in. They are in DC now and who knows where they’ll end up next.

Our last minute costume ‘Peaky Blinders’ (literally put together in less than an hour). Thanks to my Aunt Bunny for the vintage gown and Great Grandma for the flawless coat.

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While my parents were here we explored a few eats we haven’t before – I really liked the decor in the place below.

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I was feeling super loved! Mom brought me some Swig cookies in her suitcase! I love a good Dirt Ball. Too bad a Raspberry Dream wouldn’t have survived the flight. I miss Swig too much!

Having my parents here was so fun. I loved showing them around Prospect Park, Central Park, Soho, China Town! I miss them already!

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img_0886-1Dad telling me how to get rid of ticks – Check out my twitter @magreenhalgh3 for more great dad jokes from his trip

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I finished Gloria’s new book on election day. A day that broke my heart a little. I don’t know when America will be ready for a female President, but I hope it’s in my lifetime. I want to see a President who looks like America! I want my nieces to see there are no limits for women.

I loved this book and highly recommend anything written by Gloria. She’s inspiring!

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We attended NYCFC’s very first playoff game ever! They lost terribly, but at least we had this nasty bucket of chicken to comfort us.

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Less than 2 months until I get to see this face tho!!!! (below) She’d kill me if she knew I posted this but that’s what she gets for leaving me for 1.5 years!

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megan