Especially my dearly beloved mother.

Let me set the scene up for you. My boyfriend and I live together. I’m Irish Catholic. Put two and two together…

So now that you get the situation, let me tell you about the funniest joke EVER.

Over July Fourth weekend, both Matt and my families were at our house celebrating together. Matt was cooking up a storm, my mom had brought some of my favorite snacks and Matt’s seven-month-old niece was entertaining us all with her newly learned laugh.

My mom and I were sitting together at the bar munching on some queso when she said, “I love spending time with our in-laws.”

My chip came to a screeching halt halfway to its intended destination and I replied, “Mom. I don’t have a ring. They aren’t in-laws yet!”

“You know what I mean!!” she replied.

We sat quietly for a few seconds and  then… the best joke EVER hit me.

With an evil grin plastered to my face, I enjoyed my chip and said (with perfect comedic timing, I might add), “Well… I guess you could call them our Living-In-Sin-Laws if you really wanted to be accurate.”

My dear lovely mother looked at me a moment and then deadpan said “Yes. I actually prayed about that in church this morning. Thank you for reminding me,” before smiling sweetly and walking off to play with the baby some more.

Mom 1, Margaret 0

Speaking of hilarious MommyMac related things… We are totally scaling a sheer cliff together in this photo. Can you tell?

Since she is in school out of town, I’m missing her a ton today and wishing I could wrap my arms around her on her birthday. Since I can’t do that… I thought I would compile a quick list of all of the reasons why she is the raddest little sister on the block.

1. No one makes me laugh like Alice
2. When I’m upset, she is the voice that calms me
3. And when I inadvertently color my hair pink, she helps make it right
4. Her heart is as big as the universe
5. And people who know her are lucky to have her in their lives
6. She once put a pacemaker in a ferret
7. And I would trust her to amputate a limb
8. In matters of the heart, her expertise is unrivaled
9. And her capacity to help others knows no bounds
10. Like I said… Alice is amazing.

Happy 24th little girl. You are the best little sister a girl could have.

My little sister and I threw a surprise birthday party for MommyMac and it was AMAZING. So many close friends of my mom came over for the surprise and when she walked in the door, her expression was priceless. Being able to give a night like that to the woman who has given me so much was probably one of the absolute best moments of my life.

That being said, we did learn a few very important lessons in the planning of said party… the biggest lesson being that you don’t send a pair of hungry McDonald girls to H.E.B. to buy party groceries.

We walked into the store with a list and $222.37 cents later, we walked out of the store with the contents of our list + enough random food to feed an army. But we had a blast shopping, so I wanted to share our oh-so-random list.

Recipe for a surprise party:
1 case of Coke
1 case of Diet Coke (aka elixir of the gods)
2 giant things of ketchup
1 case of Diet 7-Up
20 sweet potatoes (27.72 pounds, to be exact)
4 sticks of butter
1 roll of parchment paper
1 bottle of carrot juice (because it looked good)
1 16 ounce jug of egg beaters
1 bag of pre-cut green beans
1 box of classic yellow cake
1 bok of chocolate fudge cake
2 16 ounce jugs of frosting
1 thingy of lemon juice
2 cans of Rotel (1 hot, 1 regular)
26 ounces of salt
1 roll of parchment paper
Roughly 100 asparagus spears
4 packages of football-shaped plates
1 bag of Baked pita chips
2 bags of “Hint of Lime” Tostitos
2 things of 2% milk Velveeta cheese
SPRINKLES!!!! FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS!!!!
1 bag of pre-cut broccoli
1 bag of baby carrots
1 bag of Spicy Nancho Doritos
1 bag of BAKED Sea Salt Kettle Cooked potato chips (because Alice was hungry)
2 bags of “alle olive” Larzaroni Bruschettes (because I was hungry)
1 jug of garlic marinated olives from the HEB olive bar (because why not?)
2 bags of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 bags of Nestle semi-sweet white chocolate morsels
7 boxes of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice (sans any chicken product)
1 bag of pecan pieces
50 Solo Cups (because I was concerned we might run out… for a 20 person party)
150 Napkins
1 Dry Roasted Peanuts
1 22 ounce thing of garlic powder
1 22 ounce thing of black pepper

and… 1 bottle of Vintage Ink cabernet (to drink while unloading aforementioned groceries)

The good news is that we saved $5.67 by shopping at H.E.B. The bad news is that we were having SO MUCH FUN last night we took ZERO pictures.

Happy birthday Mom!

February 8 will be my one year anniversary at my beloved MMI and reflecting on that fact has me reflecting on many of the other things things that have happened over the last 12 months.

I have a job I adore. My new blog design is beautiful. I would consider myself an almost-non-smoker. I am in love with my best friend. I have a client list that couldn’t make me happier. I got to visit New Orleans for the first time ever. I met Adam Scott, Emmit Smith AND took a ride on an elliptical next to Luke Wilson. I went on an epic Texas road trip. I buried a cousin and welcomed a new member into my extended family. I took up mountain biking. My sister kept me laughing and taught me to crochet. I made four scarves. My mom sent me supportive emails and messages. My friends were amazing. I laughed and I lived and I learned.

I found my way through a very unhappy time in my life and have discovered certain truths about myself. Maybe I will share those later, but for now, I just want to celebrate all that was amazing about my 26th year.

And when I start to worry things about things every now and then… I just channel the sage advice of Dr. Suess.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53074617@N00/3423719418/

The background: Yesterday I was having a no good, very bad day. There wasn’t anything particular wrong, it was just one of those off days everyone has. I unloaded to Mom and, like always, felt much better. This morning I arrived to work, checked my gmail, and was greeted by the following email…

Good morning Little Lady.

I hope today will be better than yesterday.

It is difficult at times to count your blessings but I hope that you can do so…

God loves you
Mommy and Alice love you
And then there is Matt
Sergeant and Love Tap love you
You have a wealth of wonderful friends
And the list is endless…

Much peace to you today even though challenges will occur.

I’ll be saving this list for a rainy day because she is right… No matter what, always count your blessings.

And remember that Mommy knows best.

They are my confidants, my colleagues, my family members and my heroes.

They are who I call when I break a nail, get a flat tire or happen to trip and fall into love.

They make me laugh, pick me up when I cry, spell check my press releases and remind
me I’m too old to shop at Abercrombie and Fitch.

They know I’m not a morning person, that crowds make me nervous
and that I could watch sappy movies all day long.

They aren’t afraid to tell me when I’m wrong or fight for me when I’m right.

Whether they live near or far, I don’t know where I would be without them.

Here’s to you ladies… You are truly the best.

And you know what? I am really okay with that. So rather than going into a long rant about how much I suck at blogging, or making a promise to myself to blog more or even writing something thoughtful at all, I’m just going to tell you in a nice, neat, numbered list, what my life has looked like over the past two months.

1. I lost my happiness
2. so I quit my amazing job
3. I spent way too much time in my PJs
4. and watched too many sappy movies
5. but then I read a really amazing book about happiness
6. I started running again
7. and got organized
8. I spent a lot of time with my best friend Monica
9. which involved TONS of laughter
10. I started finding happiness all around me
11. and started wearing high heels again
12. And then out of the blue I got a wonderful job offer
13. I took it
14. and my first project was Mom2 (hooray!)
15. I changed a tire wearing a yellow dress
16. and fell in love with the Mom2 Crew all over again
17. I spent some time by a campfire
18. and did some more organizing
19. Today I woke up…
20. and discovered a peace in myself that I never knew existed

I would say that as tumultuous as they have been, the last two months have been two of the most AMAZING months of my life! And it all boiled down to figuring out how to solve my own problems… with a ton of help from my beloved friends of course.

And because this post wouldn’t be complete without it (and because it totally cracks me up every time I see it)…

Photo evidence of Jenny and I changing a tire in evening gowns. And in case there is any confusion, I totally stole this picture from Jenny’s blog. So I am Maggie and Me is Jenny… if that makes sense.

And because I think this post needs a picture of Jenny and I looking like ladies (ie, without our asses in the air), here is this one with she and I and Gwen that I love just as much as the tire-changing one.

And because why not? BANGS:

December 12: New Food. You’re now in love with Lebanese food and you didn’t even know what it was in January of this year.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. Monica and I spent my birthday week in New York and it one of the most amazing trips of my life. I’ve been there several time before but I’ve never (please don’t throw things at me here) eaten the pizza from one of the little pizza places that seems to reside on every corner.

This time in NYC, both our new Irish friend John and Monica made me try it out… and oh boy it is amazing.

It’s not delivery OR DiGiorno. It is DEELISH!

Thank you flickr user Daniele Sartori for the awesome photo!!

December 13: What is the best change you made to the place you live?

Recently I moved back home to dear old Tomball to live with Mom. There were several reasons behind this change, the biggest and most important probably being the need to save money saving and to pay off those old student loans.

I lived on my own all through college and for a few years after so I was a little nervous about the transition at first, but the last couple of months have been so much fun.

My Mom lives on a cul-de-sac and we’ve become really great friends with all of our neighbors. We become a fun, sometimes dysfunctional, always silly family that lives together – only in separate houses. I swear I’m going to write a book about this motley crew.

We’ve got the widow, the 20 something that lives with her Mom (clearly that’s me)… we’ve got the single mom and then the cougar. We’ve got the family with yours-mine-and-ours and then on the corner there is the overweight president of the homeowners association (we try to stay as far away from him as possible). Probably the most normal of all of us is the pharmaceutical rep.

We have made it a habit to get together every few weeks in someone’s driveway, drink lots of wine, and stay up talking as long as possible. You can imagine the variety of the stories that are told and the wonderfully different perspectives you get on things.

It is this eclectic bunch I bring all of my problems to first and it is these people who have picked me up time and time again when I’ve thought things are too hard. I have plans to move back into the city sometime in spring, but I don’t think I could have imagined a better place to live in my 26th year. How I love my dear little circle.

Oh… another great thing about living at home are having conversations like these (this occured five minutes ago):

Me (yelling from the kitchen): Mom!!

Mom (yelling from the computer room): What?

Me: I bought you some really great chips!!

Mom (walks into the kitchen): What did you say?

Me: Ummm. I bought you some great chips?

Mom: Oh thank goodness! I thought you were yelling about eating some “good shit” and I thought that was just so white trash!! Good chips. That’s funny.

Me: Wow Mom.

My little sister is coming home from college this weekend. Can’t wait.

December 11: The Best Place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

This one was easy for me. As soon as I read the prompt, I knew what place I would be writing about.

Almost heaven, West Virginia,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain momma,
Take me home, country roads.

- John Denver

My Mom’s family is from a tiny town in West Virgina named Hinton. It is tucked between two rivers in the mountains and the only place to get a pair of shoes is Magic Mart. They now boast a Subway restaurant (watch out world!) and the only bar in town is a cute little joint called Pop’s.

Of all the places I’ve traveled, Hinton is one of my favorite places in the world because going back always feels more like going home.

In October we went back for my cousin’s wedding. It took place in a tiny cabin high in the mountains and my uncle officiated. After the service we drank moonshine and stayed up all night talking around a fire. Another uncle brought out his fiddle and we sang “Country Roads” by John Denver.

We are a family that is very much in love and we laugh all the time. We value our roots and tradition is important to us. We like passing things along… including names.

The top picture below is one of my favorite of all time. It best illustrates both the beauty of West Virginia and the sense of consistency I have when I am there.

In every generation of our family, there is a Margaret. I am the one that belongs in this generation. Pictured is Grandma Margaret, Aunt Peggy (which is a nick-name for Margaret), Baby Margaret and me.

Every time I look at this picture… my breathe catches in my throat. What an amazing place.

Just the three of us:

The whole crew:

My beloved other half:

A few more cousins:

Music was a big part of my childhood and I LOVED Michael Jackson. When it was announced that MTV would be doing a “Michael Marathon” the week prior to the world premier of “Scream” I channeled my inner puppy dog eyes and BEGGED to play “big girl”…. and I got my wish. For an entire week Daddy and I sat in front of the TV and watched interview after video after interview of Michael. Dad taught me how to set up our tape recorder and with my allowance I bought enough video tapes to record the ENTIRE week, beginning to end.

The only time I was away from MTV and my dad was when I had to tear myself away to go to school in the morning (or if he caught me asleep in middle of the night and carried me upstairs). When class let out, I would get dropped off at my bus stop and RACE back inside to make sure Dad had been changing the tapes diligently throughout the day. I needn’t of worried, he always had. He’s promised right?

The evening of the “Scream” premier arrived and there we sat, him a bear of a man and me a tiny little thing, on the floor in the living room with a bowl of popcorn between us. As the video rolled, Dad and I held hands. This is one of the most colorful memories I have of my father. I was young enough then that the angry adolescent Maggie hadn’t reared her head yet and just old enough that I think for the first time I could call my Daddy “my friend” which is a special thing to a little girl.

I miss my Father every day, but some days more acutely than others. Last Sunday was Father’s Day, which always rocks me…. but the death of Michael makes this week even harder (which I didn’t think was really possible). Michael was always “Ours,” Dad and I. With this icon’s passing, I feel like I’ve lost one more of the beautiful silver threads I hold that reach to memories of my Dad. Michael was supposed to be the one of us that lived and danced forever.

No matter the noise and the controversy surrounding Michael’s death, I choose to still see him as he once was. He was a man so full of joy that it could not be contained and a man so influential the world screamed his name; but most importantly to me, Michael was the person my daddy and his little girl could boogie dance to…. Even if Dad never could get the moonwalk quite right. For this reason, Michael will always be remembered fondly and with a smile.

Life is a little quieter today…. and a little less bright, now that Michael is gone.