Thursday, February 25, 2010

Raw Couture


Salt Lake Community College's Fashion Institute is presenting their annual Raw Couture Runway show on April 17th, 2010. This event showcases the creations and designs of the graduating students. The inspiration behind the madness this year stems from different countries and their cultures. The show has grown in popularity over the years, often now achieving sell out crowds.


Much to my delighted surprise, the students chose me to model several of their original and unique pieces. The cultural inspirations I will be wearing include two from Russia and one from Scotland.


Last night was the first fitting. Models meet designers. Designers meet models. And, in a very local sense, it felt a lot like Project Runway!


As soon as you meet the designers, they then ask you to... undress. As comfortable as I am with myself, this common indecency in modeling never fails to surprise me. I know it's coming, but even though my actions don't show any emotion, my mind is whirling. It' s like a handball in soccer; you know you just slapped the ball, but you act like it never happened.


The nudity (except for a strapless bra and a nude thong) made me blink twice this time, however. Because this time one lone male model was also in the group. And he was hot. If nothing else, I found a new way to introduce myself. "Hi, my name is Meredith, and here is my naked butt." I'll let you know how this forward approach works out.


Nonetheless, I am uber excited for this very cool runway job. The clothes, the couture atmosphere, the music, the lights, the catwalk, and a packed audience...


it is an art form that really is so much fun.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

House Mangum

Though only four Mangums remain in Boise, Idaho, all seven of us in spirit are making the move to...


Eagle, Idaho.



Leaving our home of 25 years and the City of Trees...




my parents have purchased a new lovely home 20 minutes west of Boise.





As our family will only grow in size, a home that better suits our needs was much in order. And with a little bit of luck, my parents nabbed a foreclosure. Bad time to sell, but GREAT time to buy.


I will miss waking up on Christmas morning and posing for our annual family photo on the stairs, donned in our pajamas and our inevitable puffy eyes squinting.

I will miss looking into my front or backyard and seeing the trees that Maddie, my childhood best friend, and I climbed. We played with our plastic reptiles and made forts in those trees. We watched butterflies consume the branches one summer, covering every square inch of bark.

I will miss Lakewood garage sales and gathering quarters from my parent's stash to buy the most ridiculous junk, like a barbie-sized mermaid beach made of foam.

I will miss driving past our stone lampposts that garnish our driveway, and remembering how I smashed our Land Cruiser into not one, but both posts.

I will miss my old running routes that have been apart of my Boise routine since I was 15.

I will even miss our cranky and stubborn front door that refuses to open and close efficiently.

The house has character. A few repaired punches though the walls and an apple stain on the ceiling. A burning wreath hanging inside during Christmas dinner. Bedrooms that have seen tears of heartbreak and tears of joy welcoming in a new baby. We all took turns occupying each bedroom. I am sure the middle bedroom hated me the most, as Leonardo DiCaprio and Titanic posters suffocated the walls. And the kitchen floor has felt pumpkin guts and seeds hardening against the wood during carving at Halloween. That same wood has felt dozens of shoe covered feet gather for birthdays, celebrations, and graduation parties.

This house has been well loved. And it most certainly has seen love be created within its walls.

Thank you, 267 Old Saybrook. You were good to us.

Two Brothers Mangum

I feel the need to brag about my two brothers that sandwich me in the hierarchy of Mangum children.

The first born: Parker Knight Mangum. He recently earned a beloved internship with the company that makes these shoes.

In this uber hip city. (Portland, Oregon). He and his cute wife, Meegan, make the move in June.


Middle child: Madison Clifford Mangum. He is currently serving an LDS church mission for San Antonio, Texas, speaking Espanol.


Thanks for letting me brag, boys. You've earned it.

Monday, February 22, 2010

The 5 Year Plan


Where will you be in 5 years? 10 years? 50?


I can't answer the latter two questions, because I really don't know. I hope for certain aspirations and lifestyles, but it requires another individual of the opposite sex to make it happen. So I don't really know when or how it will happen.


But what I do know, and can plan for in my next 5 years, because it is solely up to me, is this:


If all goes according to plan...


By Spring 2011, I will not just be an RN, I will be an RN-BSN. A Nurse with a Bachelor's degree in tow from Boise State's online/distance program.


And by Spring 2013, I will be a Family Nurse Practitioner, from Westminster College.


This is it. This is my final decision to move forward with the intense, but rewarding schooling.


I have been feeling uneasy, as of late, and I wasn’t sure why. I was feeling thoughts like, “What now? Is this the end? Where do I go from here?”


All those thoughts, however, were silenced recently, upon coming to this decision. The empty void has been filled. I feel comfort that this is a great step in the right direction and ultimately what I want for myself. I am young, without any dependents. Now is the time.


So, anyone have some good advice about student loans....?

Friday, February 19, 2010

Green Turf


The above picture represents what I did nearly every day of my life for 16 years.


It also represents what I could not, or chose not to, do for 2 years because of a knee injury.


But most of all, it represents what I did...


...last night.


I have never felt so rusty or worn out before whenever I have stepped onto a soccer field than when I did just that...


...last night.


My lungs burned.


Clearly, I am so out of shape. I can run marathons, but can barely tolerate 15 minute increments in an indoor soccer game.


But, why I feel so compelled to share is this:


Sans knee brace and any hesitation in my playing efforts, I DID IT.


I PLAYED SOCCER.


I CAN DO IT.


Yes, this is definitely a pat on my back from my own hand. But 2 years of wonder and doubt have now been silenced and, hopefully, put to rest.


If not, I have great health insurance.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Windshield Woes

I exchanged that....




For this....


On her....

After I got pulled over by him...




Moral of the story:

One thumbs up for Big Girl Panties!

But, two thumbs down for expensive adulthood.

My Own Valentine


Since my eligible dating years began 6 years ago, I have been single for 4 of those 6 Valentine's Days.
I, by no means, am complaining.

I have learned to find happiness, love and trust in myself by being unattached. So when my also-single girlfriends and I planned a fun Sunday treat for our Valentine's Day, I was very excited. I have grown accustomed to such events on romance affiliated holidays.

We decided to treat ourselves to Rodizio Grill and gorged on a variety of meats, salads, and fried bananas. Though pricey, it's a lot cheaper when it's just for one. (Another minor perk of singledom). We each received a long-stemmed flower from our waitress, and though it came from a stranger who is not male, I still loved it. It smelled fresh and sweet. And it was my lone gift of the day. Although, I am sure my bill factored in the price of the flower.
We then ventured to the Gateway movie theaters, purchased MORE candy and Diet Coke, and enjoyed the movie, "Valentine's Day." Expecting the movie to be yet another cheesy chick flick, I was very pleasantly surprised! It is fun, touching, humorous, and lighthearted. In a movie theater packed with couples, I feel it is safe to say that we were the lone "unashamed girls only" group.

Nonetheless, to satisfy a need I have on February 14th, I wanted to give a gift to a man who means the world to me. So thanks to Barnes and Noble and UPS, my father received the new K.D. Lang CD, accompanied by a small, pink card, which read:

To the man on whom I can always count and has never let me down.
Happy Valentine's Day.

I love you!

Meredith

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Boston Post

This post is dedicated to my dear baby sister, Abigail. She states that she “will die” if I don’t post again, and because I kinda like having her around, I will preserve her life with my words. Thank you, sweet sister, for kicking my blogging bum into gear.

Here goes.


After a long dry spell of not publishing my life, it’s hard to know where to begin. So, I will pretend like I never stopped blogging, and I will pick up right where I should: What happened last week.

Boston, Massachusetts is what happened last week.

Furthermore, Harvard Medical School, happened, too.

And so did a friend, Derek Erstad.

All three converged for a cross country trip that was well anticipated, and well executed.

I made the full day journey from Salt Lake City International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport. But there is a marked difference in the definition of Salt Lake International and Boston International. When you arrive in Boston, attractive female voices pipe up over the PA system speaking in various languages, informing travelers that it is the last boarding call to Belgium. Or that Sophia Loren needs to get back to France. Okay, not really to the latter. But it sure feels that way. I really was now in international waters.

This big girl hailed down a taxi (okay, so what if they are lined up in a nice, neat row outside the airport waiting for desperate passengers, such as myself), and I paid the cabbie $41 to take me to Vanderbilt Hall at Harvard Medical School. Though pricey, it was well worth it. Otherwise, if I had attempted a run on the Subway, big brown suitcase in tow, I could not make the aforementioned claim that the excursion was “well executed.”

Friends since we were 15, Derek met me outside his dormitory hall and we exchanged a warm embrace. Boy, was I glad to see a familiar face. He gave me an abbreviated tour of his accommodations, which included the 4 security checkpoints just to get into his room. If it weren’t for the Victorian-esque décor of the ceilings, the hardwood floors, and the warm rich colors of the social hall, I would have thought they kept their medical students in prison.

Afterwards, Derek took me to a restaurant known as “The Pig.” Apparently it is a well known place for brilliant professors and their studious tutees to converse over a good drink and even better pulled pork. And that we did, but in this circumstance, exchange brilliant professor for wannabe shameless westerner and her genius partner in crime.

And so the plan was laid out, the standard had been set and we lived up to it every moment of my 4 day escape from reality.

On Friday, we ventured onto the Boston Subway system known as the “T” and the “M2” and toured Harvard Square. As I had borrowed one of Derek’s fellow classmate’s Harvard ID, I again pretended to be a wannabe, and we snuck into the Harvard Law School Library. For once, Hollywood got it right. Legally Blonde tells no lies. The buildings are just unique and architecturally incredible as Reese Witherspoon experiences. And I got to be apart of it, if only for one weekend!

Furthermore, the weekend allowed for eating Ethiopian food with your bare hands and sharing a bottle of wine (can I call it that, Derek? I know, I was selfish). Boston also meant I could participate in a quasi pub crawl with a bunch of super rad and super humble medical students. It meant I could go into Harvard Medical School and see the classroom auditoriums, the labs, and the more intimate tutorial rooms. And I thought to myself, “So this is where all the magic happens.” This is where Derek has run off to, to dedicate his life to the world of medicine. Yeah, I totally dug it.

I experienced Bertucci’s pizza and Long Hammer IPA. I saw Sherlock Holmes in the local movie theatre (in between my mid flick naps) and I bought $10 sunglasses from Urban Outfitters. A keepsake that whenever I put them on my face, reminds me of wandering around the store, trying on my usual bug-eye glasses, but being convinced to purchase a new style.

We watched episodes of Grey’s Anatomy on Derek’s Macbook when it was absolutely too frigid to venture outdoors. We discussed philosophy, religion, spirituality, and healthcare reform.

We had a blast.

And so the weekend went just as soon as it had come, and I made another full day of travel back to the motherland. Thank you, Derek, for sharing your time, your lost study hours, your new found Boston expertise, and many a good eats with me. I think I’ll keep you around.


PS- Got a call today. I landed my first paid Salt Lake City modeling gig. Apparently, these conservatives aren’t afraid of a girl with a little extra boob and a little extra hip.