Watch Where You're Standing

New Season | Not Available on Netflix

2014-12-26T09:42:00.001-08:00

The last time I wrote in July, I wanted to celebrate the life of a dear friend and yes; We (still) Miss You Shannon! In June, I shared how I was "Standing in THE Days" and talked about how sometimes the little struggles in life can add up take a toll on your spirit, but realized that none of that stuff in life is really up to you anyways and accepting that instead of trying to fix the struggles yourself in those moments, is what gets you through them.

In March, I told you about how I was skeptical to graduate, my obsession with being an Aunt, my travels and the long list of "adult things" I had to do like get new insurance, tires and my wisdom teeth taken out on with an entry level budget. I was "Standing Here Doing Adult Things" but yet, trying very hard with a very creative savings plan to enjoy the small windows of opportunity I had to enjoy new experiences and adventures that life opened up for me.

A year ago, I was reminiscing on good times with family and friends and cherishing each and every moment with every person, because at the time, it was a rare and special when I had the time to enjoy them. I was "Standing on Memory Lane".

Over a year ago, I was experiencing a lot of Sensors going off in my life. Sensors that just confirmed that I had absolutely no idea how to navigate myself in this world alone...and every time my car sensor lit up on my dashboard, it was just another reminder of just that. The great thing about it? I was never alone to begin with.

I thought now would be a cool time to write again, because over the last few years I have grown so much. I've grown a lot spiritually, emotionally and professionally (at least it feels like it anyways...I mean I still spill coffee on my pants on occasion but there are some battles we just can't win). I'm in a brand new season of life, which is a big deal for me because I felt as though I was in the same season for quite some time. (It was God's idea, not mine).

This season is still very new to me, so I hope it's not too soon to celebrate being in it, but I'm just too excited not to be. I figure, if I can celebrate the trials, I can sure celebrate the victories as well.

My radio career came to a close on the first of November and it was as unexpected as could be. It all started when I went on a work trip, a radio remote broadcast event at Sandals Resort in Negril, Jamaica. First of all, the closest things to a "resort life" I have ever experienced before these types of trips was going to Yogi Bear Campground in Cherokee, North Carolina....so these were always really special times when I got to go.

On our last full day there, a small group of us got in a van and headed up the hills to deliver some school supplies to a local school in Negril. When we pulled up to the school, the only thing I could think about was how I was going to swallow the big lump that kept creeping its way up my throat. We played, we colored, we read, we sang. Before leaving, this little boy ran to me and gave me the biggest hug, he scaled my body to be held and wrapped his tiny arms around my head and pressed his head to mine and wouldn't let go. His teacher had to come over to encourage him to let go so I could leave to go back to the resort.

--- Pause. Was I sad for the kids because I was just told that they don't always get dinner at home? Was I sad because the building wasn't in the condition it should be in for a school? No, (let me explain), I was sad AND angry because I was going back to a resort...an all you can eat, all you can drink resort and I was to pretend like I had just accomplished something by dropping off some pencils and paper? The lump in my throat grew and it didn't leave for the rest of the day.

(Don't lose interest yet, the exciting part is coming up; ya know..the part where God makes an appearance) The next day I received an email on LinkedIn from an organization called SIM (it stands for Serving In Mission) from their Human Resources, letting me know that they had a position available that seems to match my skill set, would I like more information? I replied and said I would, because I'm always willing to hear these things out, but didn't get too attached to the idea in that moment.

That email, led to a phone call, that led to an interview..that led to lunch...causing me to put in my 2 weeks notice as the Marketing Coordinator for an awesome radio station in Charlotte. It was a time period where I felt God making the moves for me and I was just the physical presence of his decisions. I wrote the resignation letter, but he told me what to say. I was there during the interviews, but he guided me through it. I prayed so hard about leaving a fun and enjoyable career season...He told me what to do.

So now, I'm 2 months into being the Digital Content Manager for SIM USA, a missionary organization that reaches thousands of people by responding to need all over the world, by using people who have skills in medicine, aviation, media, finance and so much more.

We start every day with Chapel; we pray for different countries and talk about what's going on in the world. Every day that I come into work, it is just affirmation that I don't know anything about life. There are people hurting all over the world in ways that I never knew you could hurt in. Instead of getting angry or sad for them, I pray for them and then later on, I thank God for putting me in a position where I can be aware of these things and navigate my skill sets and how they can be used to tell their stories, to illustrate through writing, video, photo and design not only the struggles but also the triumphs that are circulating throughout the entire world and how we each have a part we can play in helping people with their physical and spiritual needs.

I'm not a doctor, a pilot or a teacher. But I can tell a story and I can tell it with integrity...and I think that's what this next season of my life is all about. It's not about me, it's about people loving other people and sharing the love of God through the skills that He gave me.

On more of an "update" note, I graduated 2 weeks ago from Appalachian State University with my Masters in New Media and Global Education. If you're friends with me on Facebook or read my blog, you know that this is a big deal (as you've probably read a whiny status or two about late nights or endless papers). I'm only 2 weeks into post grad life and it feels so good. Between the new work hours I have and not having to come home and do homework every day, I'm really not quite sure what to do with myself.

For someone that's always had more things to do than she did time, this is actually more of an adjustment that I thought it would be. I started doing Hot Yoga and I've been cooking all of the recipes that I've always wanted to try but never had time to. I started reading regularly again (I sound super domesticated...leave me alone!) and most importantly, I have been home for every holiday and have spent more time with my family in this last month than I have in the last 3 years. Just what I needed.

I don't know the specifics of what God has in store for me in this season of life. I've been praying for direction and for specific things to happen but that's all in his time and I'm okay with that.

I loved what Pastor Steven said in church the other day, "You know the verse...For I know the plans for you...He said 'I KNOW'...which means...'YOU DON'T!'".

It cracks me up that I used to think that I knew, that I had to figure it out myself or that I spent as much time as I did worrying about what was going to happen next...ppppfffttt.

"Will I ever have a car that doesn't break down all of the time?"

- YES, you will!

"Will I get through school with all of these distractions?"

- YES, you will!

"Will I be able to pay for school and all of the other financial responsibilities on my budget?

- "YES, you will!"

"Will it be easy?"

-No, it won't

"Will I ever have the confidence and opportunity to proclaim how great you are through my work?"

- "YES, you will!"

"Will I ever be able to man up and become a less sensitive being? Ya know, the kind that has great come backs and witty statements"

- "No, but I will teach you how to navigate your emotions."

"Will I ever have the physical grace, that of a swan, when I try to dance?"

- "Now you're asking for too much..."

Those are some of the questions that sum up the last season of my life. Now, I have a brand new set of questions and I'm not nearly as worried about the answers as I was then. He always shows up and it's not on my time. There is no set time frame on how long our seasons in life can last, He knows how long we need to spend in each one so that we can be the best reflection of Him as possible. I know I have a lot of growing to do from here, but as excited as I am to close one chapter, I am just as excited to open another.

Ironically, 2015 is just days away. When I look back at 2014 and realize all of the places I got to see, the people I was lucky enough to meet, the learning I did, the spiritual growth I experienced and the love that I felt...it made me realize this whole life thing is pretty legit...aka awesome. What makes me smile after blurting that out, is that I didn't sum up my 2014 with my struggles (because as I explain in my blogs over the year, there were plenty) I sum it up with the unexpected blessings and opportunity that came. Now, if I could learn to do that in real time, I would be golden!

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. And whatever season of life you may be in, know that you're in it for a reason and that is okay. Don't compare yourself to your neighbor; they are in their own walk right now.

"The promise is what God will do, the plan is HOW he will do it."

Hi Shannon! We Miss You.

2014-07-11T15:10:00.004-07:00

The funny thing about starting this blog is I have no idea how to start it. I tried starting it almost a year ago and I still couldn't figure out how to do it. After re-reading our friend Lauren's Wonderful Blog Post from last year, it kind of helped ignite the fire that I once had to write it. Plus, you realize you spent a lot of time with media geeks, so blog writing is just 2nd nature. Now that I'm here, writing it, I realize I never really lost the "fire". I honestly just have no idea what to say or how to start what I'm trying to say. Which is may be why I'm sort of rambling at this point? Let me start off by saying...We miss you Shannon. We all think about you every single day. I often kick myself for that year after college that we let go by, only seeing each other a few times. For someone who played such a huge roll from the beginning to the end of my experience at WCU, I sure should have made more attempts to come and see you. There are probably people that I need to go and visit with now, that I haven't in a while. What I would give to

back to 2009 and take a broadcasting that introductory broadcasting class with you again! If it weren't for you, I would have never had the guts to get in front of a camera and profess to the entire class that I have "spunk" and my favorite color is brown. (Maybe that's a "you would have had to have been there to understand", joke) None the less, I still laugh about that and tell that story to everyone when the thought of me getting in front of a camera comes up. Just so you know, I've gotten a little bit better! You on the other hand, what a natural! My eyes get really tiny when I smile for a photo or video, so I'm just not camera material.
You were my "always put-together" friend. You had a perfect smile, the confidence to introduce yourself to people you didn't know and your clothes always matched. I, on the other hand...well...I had braces, my confidence level was very much lacking and my on-camera personality was so sad. You were the counterpart that I needed, the friend that God put in my life to help lift me up and remind me that I may not be put together yet, but that's okay! You loved me for my quirks. Plus, do you realize how much laughing we did? So. Much. I knew that we were going to be great pal's when I confessed to you that I secretly wanted a pair of overalls...and a week later you brought me a pair from your Mom's store. I rocked those on campus, often. My fashion forward attempt to bring back overalls was a failed mission, but none the less, your support will always be remembered. I always admired you because from the
beginning, you always sort of knew what you wanted to do. You always said what kind of field you wanted to work in and what type of things you wanted to cover early in. While you could have been bored out of your mind in those news-classes...you took full advantage of producing fun and exciting outdoor stories for all of our campus media outlets. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted at that time. People would ask and I would just say,"broadcasting..preferably something with National Geographic." Ha. Turns out folks right out of college don't get great jobs like that in a crashing market. Time passed and I finally figured out my niche, got my braces off and developed skills and hobbies that I could call my own & finally figured out what I wanted to do. Thank you for being someone I could look up to. Thank you for being that someone I could look at and think "That girl is happy. She knows what she wants and she loves Jesus, life and the occasional ice cream cone, I want to be friends with that girl". Sleep overs that turned into dance parties and photo sessions will be always be a favorite memory. If I had known that when you graduate and join adulthood that dance-party sleep overs would slowly deteriorate, I would have been pretty sad...so I guess I'm glad I didn't know and that we were able to live in that fun bliss for the time that we did.

Sometimes I'm not sure if I have completely grasped the fact that you aren't here with us anymore. In some ways, I feel like you still are. Sometimes I still knock on the prayer door and say hello, so I hope you hear those when I send them up! I plan on sending a few more up, so be listening. Oh, I don't know if you know this, but kept this video of you from our trip to Kentucky! I'm glad we went into that CVS to get band-aids and a glitter mic to report with, the essentials...ya know? Of course we had just gotten done eating ice cream and while doing so, we introduced ourselves to other people sitting in the food court who were at the same convention we were at. We became Facebook friends and still are to this day. I needed someone like you Shannon Christy! I needed someone to knock the confidence into me. I've made so many friends because you helped me get over that fear. You know what the great thing about Kentucky was? Our group fought like brothers and sisters. It was boys against girls and you were team Shannon and Morgan the whole time. We were tired, poor and grumpy from all of the conferences we had to attend in that short week. I'll never forget it. Well, I'm not sure what the other people on that trip have to say, but I'm so glad that week happened. We really got to know each other and I now have some really great friends because of it. Remember how Tucker and I used to always disagree on everything, like brother and sister level disagree on everything? Well, Tucker...he's one of best friends now! Maybe it's because we aren't stuffed into a small studio and office together for hours on end, trying to navigate through programs and video like we knew what we were doing. Well, maybe it should be more like..."like I KNEW what I WAS doing." I definitely didn't 75% of the time! We have plans to get ice cream this weekend in honor of you! You would laugh, I think.

Another thing that I think about is how extreme you were and how un-extreme I was...and still am. Haha. I guess being "extreme" can mean a variety of different things. I loved the video that you did for WCU, you know the one where you won the Flip Cam? I would also just like to point out that, in that video you caught a clip of the one time I did do something "extreme" and ended up with a dinner plate sized bruise on my leg. The "Extreme Sledding" that we did on the hill behind the dorm rooms.

You thought it was awesome and immediately wanted to go to the bathroom to see how big the bruise was so we could tell people about it. I, just wanted some Advil. Haha. I loved it though and I loved that day. We had a bunch of our friends together enjoying a day off in the snow. What more could you want? We didn't let that ruin our day, we got dinner in the food court right after and finished it off with....(any guesses?) Yes, an ice cream cone...on a snow day no less!

I guess this blog post turned more into a letter to you. I was pretty nervous about writing it, because I didn't know if I would say the right things or tell the stories the right way. I hope that I did. You were an amazing friend, you did life the Shannon way and that was awesome. Thank you for letting me be part of it for the time that we did have together. I don't think people get that kind of "time" anymore. Being at Western was such a special time. I got to spend 4 years, learning...making friends and doing things that made ME happy?! What!! That's so awesome that we got to do that and that we were able to do some of that together. I didn't realize what a blessing going to college was until it was over. Like most things, though, that's how it goes.

Oh, in case you are wondering, Sal is good. We still hang out on a pretty regular basis. He does a lot of push ups, I'm not sure what's up with that, but he does! He loves his family, and he really just has it going on. Jon is being a badass and going to graduate school at Elon starting this fall. We got breakfast not too long ago and he's still being the same awesome Jon that he always is, maybe just a little smarter with all of the school he has under his belt now ;) Tucker, you know him...he is being his entrepreneurial genius self, Justin is making waves in untapped markets, seeing and grabbing at potential in places that one day, will make him stand out bigger than all of us. Rachel seems to be loving life and it flourishing in ways that I don't think she even realizes. She is still

full of God's grace and has more faith than anyone I know. Ronnie is good, thank you for talking me into dating him. I know you were really proud that you played match maker on that one. Well done friend! We have some amazing friends! You have more friends than I can even count! So many that I never met! Everywhere you went, you lit up the room, so that's really no surprise to me! I know for a fact that I'm leaving out heaps and bounds of people that loved you so much. But I suppose I need to wrap this up. I'm going to re-read this post before I post it. Just to make sure I didn't say anything stupid, but hopefully this was a good update. I'm reading it out loud to you as I type it out, so you can hear it from heaven. I love you Shannon! We miss you!

Standing In "THE Days"

2014-06-02T17:33:00.003-07:00

I know the days where I can come home to my 1 bedroom apartment, fling my shoes off and open up a jar of salsa and a bag of chips for dinner with a hot cup of Green Tea to accompany it, could be numbered. I know that one day, my priorities will change and responsibilities will grow. I know that one day, when I turn my TV on, I won't have to jiggle the antenna 3 different ways to catch The Big Bang Theory. I know that one day, I'll look back at these days and think "THOSE were THE days".

I like to think that we all given a certain window of time to be free from everything and everyone, except everyone has a different window. I think my window is now and I think that every time I miss out on an opportunity to leave the towel in the floor after a shower, eat chips and salsa for dinner or sit on my patio and stare up at the sky and try to convince myself that my herb garden IS still in fact a success, is an opportunity missed. I learn more and more every day about my own flaws, and oh boy... do I have a ton. I also learn more every day about how to handle them, how to move forward and how to realize that life will change with out my permission and that is okay.

I've figured out this happy medium between myself and the world around me where I have completely relinquished control over what SHOULD happen next and just... let things happen. I know that there are certain things in my life that I do have control over unconditionally. Right now those things are (just to name a few): My finances, travel plans, my goals, what shoes I want to wear every day, what I want to eat for dinner, worship, how much I want to exercise, how I treat others, along with other important decisions such as, whether or not I should make an entire pan of Buffalo Chicken Dip...again just to name a few.

Obsessing over what we are in control over is pointless, because tomorrow, my car may break down and that control that I feel over my finances today, could be gone tomorrow. I may think I will always have control over the option to make Buffalo Chicken Dip, but next week there could be a global Ranch shortage. Then what would I do? I have no control over that.

I have no control over anything, because I mess up every day, some days in small ways, like forgetting to use my blinker or spilling coffee on myself in the car. Some days I mess up in bigger ways by screwing up at work or forgetting to close my refrigerator causing all of the food to go bad. Every day when my alarm goes off and I choose to put my two feet on the ground and start my day, is a gamble on what will happen. I have in mind what I would like to happen, but just as you go through the list of things that you have to do that day, it seems so easy until you start doing them.

1. Take a shower.......No Shampoo...No Clean Towels
2. Make Coffee......Spilled on pants
3. Drive To Work......You're late due to a power line down.
4. Work....You forgot something on your to-do list.
5. Dinner.....You realize your out of salsa.

Want to know the funny part? At least 2 out of these 5 things happen to me on a daily basis and I'm still here! I'm good! Things are okay! I'm sitting on my couch in my apartment, writing this blog and glancing up at my mini garden every few minutes to make sure the damn bird that keeps trying to eat my tomato plants doesn't come back. Life is good! THESE are THE days!I also hope that in 3 years from now, I look back at this and shake my head and say "Those were not the days....THESE are the days." I'm having blast and I'm oddly, overly entertained by the inconsistency that life just is.

But first, let me take a selfie. *Insert humor*

Standing here doing "Adult" Things....

2014-03-10T15:45:00.002-07:00

I know that it's already March and we're a little bit into the new year, however...I didn't really post about new years resolutions or new goals. This year I wanted to write about things that happen to me throughout the year, important things that I want to remember for later.

I feel like now that I have had a few months to get used to the new year and allow life's adventures to take place, I have a little bit to note.

January was a relatively normal month for me. I didn't do a lot for New Years, we wrapped up the Ice Rink season and I dedicated an entire weekend to doing girly things (eating brunch, getting my nails done, sipping hot tea, wearing the color pink). It was great to wash away the sand and ice once and for all, until next season.

I had a few "adult" things that I had to take care of. My first project was to get new car insurance. (woo.........hoo). So, I did and it sucked and it still sucks and that's that, but I did it and it's one more thing to knock off the list!

So February rolls around and life get's a little more interesting. Ronnie & I celebrated our 3 year moment with free breakfast at Chick Fil' A that morning and an freaking FUN-TASTIC afternoon with some of our closest friends (who incidentally thought it was Ronnie's birthday). Fair enough though, a surprise night out at Sky-High in Pineville is probably the most unconventional anniversary gift you can give. However, we had SO much fun. We jumped so hard. My cheeks hurt so bad from smiling non-stop for 2 hours!

For those of you who have never been - yes, you...the adult reading this...you should go!! It's not JUST for kids!

The weekend after that, we went to LA to visit Ronnie's sweet sister, Courtney. Courtney works for the Ellen DeGeneres Show (how cool is that?!) We spent the first night chatting and celebrity spotting in the restaurant we ate at. The second day we went on a beautiful hike! The great outdoors, beautiful views, snakes & good times!

Snakes...yes. ;ALSKDJF;ASDUR;JDJF. Getting shivers again just thinking about it!

The third day we walked around Warner Brothers Studios, we got to see some pretty incredible things. We were shown the friends set and we were even allowed to sit on THE couch.

Weird thing: I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was in this show until I walked into see the set. There it was and I kind of teared up (shhhh no one knows that), but I swallowed it and moved on, because how cool is that?!! The FRIENDS set?! The only thing that wasn't original was Lisa Kudrow's guitar, apparently she wanted to take that with her whenever the show went off the air. Fair enough Phoebe...fair enough.

We saw other things too, such as the Pretty Little Liars set where they are still filming. We saw where they filmed the Spiderman kiss (where he hangs upside down), the Orphanage from the movie Annie, The Big Bang Theory set and so much more.

Later on that day we went to The Ellen Show and was part of the studio audience. The guests that day were Jonah Hill and Lionel Richie with Ceelo Green. Jonah Hill just seems like a cool dude.

Ellen butt bumped the person behind me while we were dancing on TV! It was a really upbeat experience and I felt like I was put on the spot to be overjoyed for the entire show! I loved it!!

The 4th day we came home and I returned to my list of "adult" things that needed to get done. Nothing says "adult fun" like getting your wisdom teeth removed! So, after a year of pocketing money away to the side, I made the appointment and I got my wisdom teeth removed two days after returning from LA.

Thank goodness for my sweet Mother for driving to Charlotte that weekend to take care of me. I remember nothing, like at all. Then the next week I checked my bank statement and it was like..."OH...right, that happened." Good thing my appetite was still on the downward slope, because let's just say "steak" wasn't really in the budget after this procedure! Luckily after you get your wisdom teeth removed, all you want for a week or two after is pudding, mashed potatoes and Spaghetti-Os.

So once all of the drama of getting my teeth out was over, life got back to normal.

I am the kind of person where yes, I get that we have to do stupid things in life like buy new tires, replace our cars, get wisdom teeth removed and pay student loans. However, I'm also the kind of person that likes to sprinkle something fun in between every stupid "adult" thing that I have to do.
It looks something like this:

1. Buy new tires
2. Get VENTI Hazelnut Latte at Starbucks
3. Get new car insurance
4. Go to LA
5. Get Wisdom Teeth Removed
6. Go jumping at Sky High
7. Pay Electric Bill
8. Make Coffee at Home & Pretend Your At Starbucks, spill it on your pants and move on with life. (because at this point lets face it, you're broke)

Haha, I mean it's all 100% true!

This year is different than years past because I'm at a completely new territory in life. I'm at a place where I'm truly happy at my job, I'm in my 2nd year with the company so I sort of know what to expect throughout the year and I know how and when to plan for things that I want to do in my personal life.

I have a really fun year coming up! Some good things are going to happen and I'm pretty pumped up about it! I'm getting the opportunity to travel to A LOT to places that I have never seen, watch a lot of my closest friends get married...and more.

I'm getting a roommate and moving to a new place at the end of the summer. I'm turning 24, so I'll probably have some sort of mental breakdown about getting older and probably have a "Pre Mid-20's" crisis about not being in my "early 20's" anymore after this year. I'll probably get over it in 5 minutes because life is just too fun right now and there is so much to look forward to. (Friends, just refer me to this paragraph when my crisis comes, I can be such a drama queen) ;)

I'm graduating from Grad School this year, which is exciting. I'm actually kind of sad that I'm graduating, because I really enjoy school a lot.

There are actually two reasons for why I am skeptical to graduate:

1. With every degree earned, comes a massive student loan payment. It ain't no cheap road, being edumacated.
2. I have no idea when/if I will use the degree.

So, last thing to tell you about is my trips home to see family and friends! I always have to squeeze in a few of those as often as I can. I love nothing more than a few days at home in WNC, sitting on the front porch with mom peering over that beautiful mountain view. Plus I need my niece, Lola, to think I'm cool. She is really starting to grow up and is learning to do a lot of new things. She's at a really observant point in life right now and I want to be part of that. I don't get to be around on a daily basis, but I want to make it a point to visit home every month or two.

Lola thinks that whoever gives her popsicles (her all time favorite thing) is the COOLEST person on the planet in that moment, so whenever I go home and visit...no one is allowed to hand my niece a Popsicle except for me!! I had to "shew" my dad out of the kitchen because he tried to steal my "Cool Aunt Thunder" last time. ;) She already things "Paw" is the coolest so he doesn't really need to rack up anymore Lola points!

Until next time

- M

Standing In The Grocery Store: IT'S JUST TOO MUCH.

2014-01-26T13:01:00.002-08:00

Adaptation is the theme of this blog post. Adapting to situations, other people, your own thoughts, feelings & actions. As I am constantly reminded of the progressive and inevitable changes that the world places on our lives, I realize it is up to us, as individuals to embrace that change with poise and the overall precedence of grace. I won't list out all of the changes that have been placed in my life lately, personally, professionally and spiritually. We all have them and it's a constant. It's not as though we go through this "phase". Life is always changing, and it's how we react to those changes that makes us who we are. We don't have the ability to control the changes that go on in our lives, but we do have the ability to adapt and give our lives direction once those changes occur. When I saw at my life overall, rather than a day to day project, I saw this huge immaculate gift. Once I realized how my life could be overall, then I realized that it's how we project ourselves on our day to day, that accumulate into the overall picture.

I am one of those people that carries an unnecessary burden of guilt around every single day. I feel it when I am in line to get a Starbucks coffee at the grocery store, because shopping with my favorite latte in hand, makes the "dreadful" experience so much better. Until, I run into a man who hasn't left the dairy isle for 10 minutes because he is trying to decide how much he can buy for $20. As he does this math in his head and I creepishly circle around the grocery store to make sure he doesn't put away that milk, I realize I'm not the only one who noticed, as a lady goes up to him and hands him a gift card to the grocery store. He smiles and she walks away. Then I no longer have an appetite for my warm coffee in my hand, I find myself reevaluating what I have in my own cart. No, I don't need K-Cups, No, I don't need 3 different types of cheeses... So I once again, circle around the store putting back what I "didn't need".

By the time that it's time to check out, I get to the register and I watch as each item is scanned and placed into the plastic bag, which I chose, (regrettably, every single time) because every time I choose paper, they put too much in the bag and when I unload my groceries from the car, to my apartment by myself, 9/10 they break, fall apart and my eggs are crushed and my milk is half way down the parking lot. But, I think about how I should be bringing my own bags to the grocery store, but some how manage to forget!

Finally it's time to pay and get to my car. I unlock the car and start to load them. Then, I get approached by a group raising money for the homeless. I pretend to ignore him because, let's face it, after that grocery shopping experience all I want to do is get home. He keeps talking. Then I realize how rude I am being. This is a person just trying to make a small difference in the world, the least I can do is give him my eye contact. So, I do. 3 minutes later I'm digging around in my purse for a floating $5 bill. Do I know for sure that that $5 is going to go to a good place? No, but I can hope and assume so. Plus, let's face it, I just spent $4.19 on a bag of Ruffles.

Let's just say, you don't want to get stuck going to the grocery store with me. It's a long, emotional, time consuming experience....and well...kind of a work out!

Standing on Memory Lane

2013-12-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

I recently went home for Thanksgiving. For some reason, every time I go home for my few and far between trips back into the mountains, I'm filled with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. By the last day, I'm always ready to come back from memory lane, but then I will randomly return after browsing through photos.I posted a few photos from my trip home below and some old ones too. This past trip home was a great one! Not only did I get to catch up with friends that I love so dearly, but it reminds me of how stinkin' awesome people can be.

"Help Each Other. Be Thankful. Know you are loved. Pay with hugs and kisses. Try new things. Be Happy. Show Compassion. Be grateful. Dream Big. Respect One Another. Laugh Out Loud.

It's almost our 10 year "friendship anniversary" Proud!!

Justin Probably regretting the bacon beer
he just ordered.

O'Malley's Hot Wings & $2 wine. I am what I am.

"The Mountains are Calling & I must go"
The mountains spoke.

I am in complete awe of this kind of
love.

and I know that each of my friends, will have the most beautiful children and fullest hearts.

Mother, Teacher, Film Extraordinaire, Panthers Man, Teacher
& Nutrition Specialist. How did I know you guys would end up
so awesome?

I miss you Shanny Poo. I will never be as awesome and daring and courageous as you,
the bruise that was left on my butt after this sledding day proved it. Thanks for pushing
me to be the person that I am now, for giving me the confidence that I needed when I was unsure
& for just being so happy. You brought a lot to my life.

This happened. CIRCA 2007. Film for Spanish class, done right.
The one in the pink cardigan still calls me basically every other day
to discuss important life events, such as work, the pain of grocery shopping,
dishes, laundry, the whole concept of getting older in general.

I still use a camera some times, but for some reason no one wants
to dress up as old people and speak in broken Spanish?

My travel buddies/sisters/great friends. They know when it's time
to primp for a photo, when it's time to yell for our favorite football teams,
when it's time to hop on a plane and get away to a place we've never been and
are aware that if we stick together, growing up isn't all that bad.

Then there are these people. People I haven't seen in almost 3 years,
but think about often. I miss having intellectual conversations over a
German beer purchased with recycling change on the U-Bahn,
exploring new places, making an adventure that started out with strangers,
into what I now consider life long friends.

Jon....without at "h". The world's best Obama impersonator,
worlds worst snowman maker & a best friend that I sure was lucky to
have around 24/7 for the time that I did. Big things coming his way, no doubt.

1996 had a lot to handle. My group, my "rock" growing up.

My family away from family.

Sometimes in life you just need to take a stroll down main street
and spend all of your free time on the Ski Slopes with your best pal.

To the Window, To the Wall. My sweet Amber on her birthday!
I can't believe I get to watch her walk down the isle this summer,
what's more, is that I get to stand beside her. The Mad Batter may be
gone, but those long conversations about big dreams for our future aren't.

I like this photo because I want to remind you all that when I have kids
I expect this 5-Star treatment as well. All gifts in the future come with complimentary
assembly! ;)

That one with the "crazy eyes" in the back ground,
married my brother a few years after this photo was taken.
They just promoted me to "Aunt Morgan" this past year! So great.

"Awkward classroom photos". Hey Eddie & Jarrett in the back ground!

Because scraping together money to spend the weekend in Pigeon
Forge is ALWAYS a good idea when your a poor college student.
You don't get time like that back.
My "go to" girls.

.......If I could go back, I don't know if I would have drawn on a mustache at my first sorority social. Ah well, these girls still love me.

Having spare time means that you have time to go to the
fabric store to pick out fabric and matching ribbon to make
hand made togas for socials. I don't think this will ever happen again, but I'm glad I had "Designer Hannah" with me when we made these!

It's that tight knit group of people that you can always count on to
visit you even when you've moved far away, because you don't
find things like this every day in life. No matter where I go or what I'm doing
I know that I will have fun when I'm with them

Moving to a new place and starting life somewhere other than
home can be pretty scary! I really don't know what I
would have done with out Katie & Amanda!

The relationships I have made at work at probably the best that I
have ever made in a work place. I may be a little wide eyed at having a
group of girls around my age that I can talk to every day, grab dinner with after
work or just walk over to their office to chat, because I'm seriously lucky.
Goofy as can be, but they are the hardest working group of women that I have ever met and
I'm pretty darn lucky to have them around.


Rachel, my Rachel! My strong willed, beautiful, loving Rachel! This woman loves Jesus more than anyone I know and lives her life to serve him. She inspires me every time we talk. I love hearing about her life stories and her adventures that she is on for Jesus. She may not know it, but she helps me listen closer for the Lord and what he wants, not what I want.

There will always be the friend that was attached to your hip all through middle
school and high school. This was my right hand. I admire her for the work that
she does and time that she commits to her students. When I listen to what
she does on a day to day basis, I just thank God for people like her. She also keeps me
in check when my clothes have been in my closet for over 10 years,
"Oh look, High School!"
Someone's gotta do the dirty work, thanks friend :)

Sensors.

2013-10-22T21:00:00.001-07:00

Post graduate life never ceases to amaze me. I'm really hoping that one day I will look back at my sporadic blog postings that detail out every single transition post graduation. I'm not really giving it it's full justice either, because I'm technically still in school. I'm in my 2nd year of graduate school and I'm paying for it as I go. Which makes the whole "glamor" part of being graduated and getting a real job, difficult to portray, when I don't ever really get to enjoy those funds anyways.

If those funds aren't going to school, then they are going to my car. MY CAR. Want to know the funny/great thing about cars? When something is wrong with them, they don't usually hold back on letting you know.

For instance, a sensor will usually emerge on the dash:

For those of us who do not live in Jackson county, this little light, will tear up your world in less than 2.5 seconds. Jackson County, the sweet little place that it is, allows it's community to get away with having this light on. However, here in Charlotte and basically the rest of North Carolina, you will not pass inspection...oh ... and no matter how small the issue...you better be ready to PAY.

What's wrong with it? Hmm...I won't bore you with all of the details, but let's just say around these parts, they charge you $100 just to get a "diagnostic". You better hope and pray it's the right one.

After taking a day off of work to drive to the mountains to get my Dad to give me his personal opinion and then bringing it back to Charlotte to be quoted a minimum of $2,000 to fix a problem that I got completed elsewhere for $275....the light finally went off.

I only wish that was the end of my story. Two weeks pass by and I'm driving that thing around as if it were the center of attention in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So proud that my light was off. I go home for my little brothers birthday and the gas peddles wouldn't really.....well..work. Three minutes after noticing this, the sensor comes back on. I don't panic, because this is just a casualty at this point. I get back home, take it to my guy, I get the call...."$3,000" !!! "You have transmission issues Morgan."

The words that kill.

"How much do I owe you for looking at it and diagnosing it?"
"Nothing, looks to me as if you've got enough problems as it is"

......That's the moment that I was no longer concerned about the sensors on the car and more so concerned about the sensors going off in my brain. I pick up my car, knowing that all hope for it is over. I knew at that point that it was time to move on. I will say, it got me through the last 2 years of college, it got me through my first job, working in sales where I put 40,000 miles on it in 1 year alone and then it got me through a move to Charlotte and through my first year of graduate school. It's riding 97,000 miles and I think it's just time.

Car shopping is a joke.

I have been shopping for 3 days now and it's the WORST. I've read a 100 articles on the subject. Ask me anything about NADA, KBB, AutoTrader, NC/SC Sales Tax, Interest Rates, Trades, Warranties, "What not to tell your car salesman" & Poker Faces.

I think what frustrates me the most about cars, is that it's something that I know the least about. Usually, when I don't know the answer to something, I will research it and study it until I understand it. With cars, it's such a game that there isn't a book out there that lists all of the "sneaky tricks and trades of buying a car". The only thing you can do is talk to every man you've ever met, gather their advice, read articles, reviews, talk to your credit union and insurance company and do your very best to educate yourself and most importantly, to have the confidence to walk away from any situation.

Being female in this situation is the absolute worst. I went into a dealership yesterday alone. The salesman said "You came in here alone? Usually girls bring an entire football team with them, their dad, grandpa, boyfriend, brothers.....you're brave!"

----- I'm brave? ...Thanks for preempting me about the fact that you're about to screw me over! I could rant about that statement but I'll save you the trouble. I'm not a feminist, but the small part of me that could be, absolutely wanted to retaliate right there on the show room floor....brave...come ON.

For those of you who buy cars a lot, I don't see how or why you do it. To me, at this point, I would rather just bike. I honestly would.

I think why this whole process is so interesting to me is because it's the first time that I have ever done it alone. Don't get me wrong, I call my Dad twice a day to fill him in on what I've encountered that day and he's coached me over the phone.

It's just like the first time that I filed taxes as an independent, got my own cell phone plan, renters insurance (didn't even know that was a thing), internet, electricity, signed up for Triple A (best decision ever), apartment, dental plan etc. NO ONE TEACHES YOU THESE THINGS. How are you supposed to know? I read one of those "Buzz Feed" articles about "15 Things College Never Taught You About Life After Graduation" It's hilarious, only it's not, because it's true! Don't get me wrong, some of the things on there are a little stupid, but all in all there are a few that I just want to do one solid fist pump to in agreement. YES.

Teach us how to write a check. Teach us how to maintain good credit scores. Teach us what we need to know when we need to buy a car, or a house (I haven't even THOUGHT about that one!). Teach us how to check our oil and change a tire. Teach us about the stock market. Teach us about insurance, 401Ks, Time Management. We spend the majority of our childhood trying to master the art of mathematics when the majority of us won't EVER need to solve a word problem in real life, or discover the root of 1,456,988.01. (Math is important, just an example)

Standing Everywhere I Possibly Can!

2013-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love to blog, I've kept one since I was 13 years old. Before that, I kept a journal which started in 1996, which I currently still have kept away in a suitcase along with all of my other journals that have so eloquently documented my childhood years from 1996 - 2003. In 2003 I started my first blog and subjected myself to the public that is the internet.

Lately I find that I have to remind myself to update my blog, mainly because I feel as though my life doesn't have enough interesting "key" moments that I feel should be shared. Sometimes I visit my blog and I get sad because I wish I had posted more. So here's to trying harder!

What's been going on in my world lately? Let's start with what I spend 75% of my life doing, working! As an adult we spend 40+ hours a week at work, an average of 10 hours per week in traffic/in the car and (especially in radio) working 5 - 10 hours overtime due to events/promotional activities and planning. Let's just say....that's a really big chunk of our lives that we dedicate to our careers, especially if you multiply all of those hours by the 30 years that you'll spend before retirement.

Those are just the facts. I did this math 6 years ago when I made the decision to go into the field that I did. Can you put a price tag on that much of your life? Is it worth it if you don't enjoy what you do on a day to day basis?

Not to be confused with painting a picture perfect utopian job that provides complete and utter bliss every single day...let's face it...that just doesn't exist.We all have our days, our moments and even weeks where things just do not want to go our way and we really just wish we could go back to bed and start that day over, in hopes that maybe you just woke up on the wrong side.

I made joke at work the other day where I told one of my coworkers that as I go through my first year as the Promotions Coordinator for two radio stations, I feel like Drew Barry Moore in the movie "50 First Dates" because until you have completed a full year in this position, every day is a new day and every day you learn something that you did not know before, you are thrown a new project that you have no idea how to tackle, you are assigned an event to plan that you have never attended before. Until that 1st year loops around, sometimes I get that feeling of "It's my first day" all over again. Thank goodness for the consistency of stapling, making phone calls and highlighting ;) It also helps that I have the best coworker's hands down! We have so much fun getting the business done! They're helpful and (my favorite part about them) patient.

I'm really enjoying my position and my 1 year anniversary here is approaching, which I am looking forward to! (It has nothing to do with getting Dental Insurance either ;) .....)

Enough about work - my last blog post was all about my job and how much I love it, so I'll stop here. I actually do (believe it or not) have other parts of my life that I feel I don't recognize enough.

I'm really happy to say that Ronnie & I have found a church that we absolutely adore. We started attending Elevation Church on Providence earlier this year and have now made it our church home! Every time we attend...I think..."How did Pastor Steven know to preach that today? That's exactly what I needed to be reminded!" Every time I go I feel spoken to and lifted up.

Elevation is a very contemporary church, which isn't what I was used to. I grew up in the sweet mountains of Waynesville, NC where if you drive about 6 miles up a mountain you'll find a small, 800 sq. ft white church and you can hear the sound of the church bell ring at 12pm on the dot. We sang Amazing Grace, the preacher would stomp his feet, members raised their hands, and clapped when they liked what they heard and everyone "amen-ed" more than you can imagine!

When I first attended Elevation, all I could think was "There is so much singing, almost like a rock concert!" Little did I know, I happened to attend on a day where Pastor Steven was absent and they had filled the time with songs, interactive videos and communion. I was a little sad because I was I was looking for a church to really poke at me, to really get me up and moving for the Lord. Something told me to go back, so I did...and that's where it took off! Elevation is filled with people who are just overwhelmed with what God can do and what we can do to honor him. The sermon's are relatable, fair and down to earth. The church is filled with people my age, which is perfect since I'm still trying to build friendships in Charlotte. I don't want to speak for Ronnie, but I think we've enjoyed being able to go together too! It's been a lot of fun!

Recently, a few girls from church and I have started meeting on Sunday nights, just to spend some time studying the word, sharing our struggles and praying for each other. This is just so good. I'm excited to continue with this throughout the summer.

So not only have I found a job and a church that I like...but I've also started to find my away around and have a list of my "regular" and "favorite" Charlotte spots! As far as food goes, I couldn't thank my friend Hannah more for sending me recommendations, nothing is more frustrating than going to a new place and eating at all of the WRONG places!

I've fallen in love with places like The Original Pancake House (where you'll sometimes find Ronnie and I at after church when we have the opportunity to treat ourselves) They have the best breakfast food and free coffee, plus I just can't bring myself to order anything differently than the Chorizo Omelet, it's just too perfect.

For dinner, I like going to The Peculiar Rabbit, which has the best view of the city when you get to sit on the roof! I also like going to Maggianos in South Park when I'm feeling savvy and classy at the same time. I like it because you can order a meal (which I can never finish anyways) and then the chef makes you a whole other brand new meal to take home with you! So it's like getting 3 meals, which is perfect for the next day! For pizza, we like to go to Mario's, especially before going to see a movie! For lunch my favorite spots are Crisp, Savor Cafe & The Little Village Grill!

I have a few more favorite food spots but those are just a few worth mentioning! A few habits that I have picked up since I moved here are my bimonthly trips to Kings Drive Farmer's Market!
I get all of my vegetables there AND that's where I bought my tomato plants! (Which, in case you wanted to know, are doing fabulous and are blooming like champs!) I hear that there is a Fish Market and much bigger Farmer's Markets here, so I'm on a mission to find them!

I've also developed this love for going to Whole Foods....now...I usually go in there wide-eyed and end up leaving with a $2.99 bottle of white wine that they carry. I'm convinced it's purely about the experience for me, I enjoy it...so what the heck!

A few really neat things that I've had the opportunity to enjoy lately are Taste of Charlotte which is a huge food festival where a ton of the best restaurants in Charlotte gather in the heart of Uptown and offer samples of some of their best meals! It was very cool!

I attended the BOB Awards (Best of The Best) where some of our on-air personalities were honored and I got to enjoy a Moulin Rouge themed awards party full of delicious food, dancers and champain! For my birthday we got the chance to go to VBGB which is a great place that offers live music, food, drinks & life size board games and beach Volley Ball! I even found myself venturing out to Speed Street where I got to put on my cow girl boots and listen to Randy Houser & Jamie Johnson do their renditions of the 90's country hits, and I liked it ....and I loved it ...and I wanted some more of it.... (Okay, I'll stop that...haha)
In May I also got to go on Lake Norman on a Yacht for our radio station's annual Link Yacht Party! I love that part of this area and I need to make more of an effort to go up there since it's so close!

On other notes, I've been building on my photography ( www.morgancarverphotogrpahy.com ) and trying to build up myself in my new environment! Having a hobby that is so exposed, can be really intimidating. I appreciate all of the positive feedback and those who have been uplifting! I'm really pumped that I'm growing with it. Between May & June I will have completed 8 sessions! It's keeping me extremely busy on top of everything else, but I wouldn't trade it for anything right now.

I laugh sometimes because I now find myself catering to my two patio tomato plants and going to painting classes. I love this! I'm extremely lame - I know this! Haha.

Graduate school is also going really well! It's kicking my butt both mentally and financially, but I'm on a mission to come out of this debt free and with a 4.0 GPA. (It sounds funny when I say it out loud, but it really is my goal, I'm just praying I can keep it together until I graduate next December, so far so good...most days! Haha) ;)

I'll wrap this up - I actually did not intend to share this much, but once I got on a roll I just couldn't stop! I've honestly been having the time of my life and I've been trying to leave no stone unturned, to try new things and yet find the places, people and things that make me feel comfortable and at home. Right now life is one big roller coaster. Some week's I feel like I have everything under control (vital signs that this is true is when I have a fresh jug of Sweet Tea in my fridge and a clean car) other weeks I want to break because I don't understand how my car could need new breaks the same week that my rent and summer tuition is due. I honestly don't know the mysteries of how that happens, but I've made it through that and I'm sure those same struggles will reoccur time and again throughout my life, and that is just fine! If I can afford to get Starbucks twice a month, attend the semi-annual Bath & Body/VS sales at least once a year and buy my $2.99 Whole Food's Wine...then I'll be okay ;)

I think God has done a lot of work on me and my relationships with other people lately and even my perspective and expectations on life, myself, Him and others and BOOM that feels good!!

Until next time -

Morgan

"Instead of bashing what you hate, promote what you love"

Here are some photo!

My sweet little apartment!

King's Drive Farmer's Market

I mean - If you say so! ;)

Bob Awards with Shannon!

This was one of the highlights of my birthday - my coworkers are the best!

The view at The Peculiar Rabbit

Ronnie & I at Taste of Charlotte!

My Tomato Plant! It's MUCH bigger now!

Painting Class!

A page out of a book I was reading - Which I love.

Standing in my happy place!

2013-04-05T13:59:00.002-07:00

Below are some photos of me at my new job (well...not really new..but it still feels new and exciting) As I am going through my first year here at WLNK & WBT Radio with Greater Media, I'm constantly reminded about how lucky I am! I absolutely am so stoked about my job. If you knew me in college or even highschool (it all started with my senior project in 2007 on Journalism) you know that all I wanted to do was be apart of the broadcast/journalism industry. I dedicated my entire college career to every extra student media outlet there was, paid or unpaid. My first year out of school, I landed a job in sales, which was great...but I was still disappointed that I may not get to do what I really loved after all. After countless interviews and being turned down one, after the other, after the other...I started to give up. When I got my final call back for this job..I had my last interview and just laid it all out on the table (I felt like a drama queen explaining how badly I wanted the job)...it worked and 8 months later, here I am and I have NEVER been more stoked about waking up to go to work in my entire life! Don't get me wrong, there are days that I feel like the paperwork will never end and it gets stressful...but even on those days, I just can't get mad!! I have the best boss and coworkers imaginable and I seriously feel like I learn something new almost every day. I'm in my happy place right now and I'm trying to not take this experience for granted! Our team comes up with all of the marketing and promotional idea's for both radio stations that we work under. From the elaborate events to the on-air contests...we coordinate it all! Throughout this first year I have done a lot of listening, learning, question asking (my poor boss is so patient with me...I really do ask a million questions), and absorbing the process of how things work. I remain pretty quiet at this point in the "idea meetings" and creative processes...as I'm still learning how each station works, what it's ticks are, our listener demographics and so much more. It pumps me up that I have a voice in my office. I get to interject thoughts and ideas and contribute. To see an idea become a reality - is the epitome of what I wanted in a career. Our radio stations play a huge roll in the community, we participate and partner up with several charities in Charlotte, witch warms my heart. I'm excited to finish out this year and dive straight into year #2 with these stations! My coworkers may be totally sick of me saying how much I love it here...but I know what it feels like to spend 40+ hours a week doing something that I hated...and this overwhelming feeling of gratitude hasn't gone away and I have been at it for 8 months! I'm definitely standing in my happy place!

St. Patrick's Day in Uptown Charlotte!

Getting ready for the Panther's Game!

Santa's Link to Kids! Collecting & Delivering present's for kid's in Charlotte with the CMPD!

Rob Schneider visits!

Holiday On Ice = Manual Labor ....cold Manual labor.

The Link Boo Cruise! Halloween 2012!

Food Truck Fridays!

Fashion Show's supporting Autism Awareness!

Link Easter Baskets!

Mustache Birthday Lunches!

Christmas with the boss!

Election Night - Long hours of social media

Event Pros!

Standing here now, looking back then!

2013-03-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially not the best blogger that Google has ever en-counted. Especially after leaving my readers hanging by a thread with my last project "Help-Portrait".

First of all, shout of to my good friend Cassey Reid for being my right hand in all of this! I couldn't have done it with out her! Also a big shout out to my Mom, Grandparents, Aunt Beverly, Uncle Ed & Heather, Jennifer Witt & Pam! This also could not have been accomplished (without my bank account freaking out) without them!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, just go back and read my previous blog post from November and update yourself! Then come back here!

The photographs went really well, the first day was the biggest day and I photographed Christmas portraits of many different people with many different backgrounds. The majority of the people who attended suffered from a mental and or physical disability. This hits home because in my eyes and in my heart, these people should be taken care of first and foremost. It hurts to come to terms with the fact that they were having to attend the soup kitchen for a meal.

Several things kept the spirit alive and the humor rolling! I brought a total of 4 santa hats for people and/or children to wear in their photographs (ya know, for fun...everyone loves wearing a Santa hat!) Whenever this particular group came in, they made it very clear with me that they were not leaving the set unless they could take the Santa hat with them. Let's just say by the time I finished...Morgan had 0 Santa hats left and those who didn't get a chance to take one, were just glaring at their peers with envy!

Those Santa hats man....hot commodity!

I finished up, went home and came back and did the same thing again the next week. The photographs went out on Christmas Eve! We did Christmas photos for almost 100 people/families. On Christmas Eve I went to the soup kitchen and to be quite honest, I was just as happy or even more so to be there on that day! I had to work Christmas Eve night, so I was bummed that I was going to be alone and away from my family the entire day! I barely even had time to feel sad because I had the most DELICIOUS meal that ever entered by belly that very day, along with possibly the most entertaining company!

Accompanying me on my left was one of the most intelligent and polite 10 year old girl that I have ever met and to my right was my dear friend that I met while doing Christmas photos. He gave me updates on his 3 legged dog (aka his whole world) and his family that he misses so much, but hasn't spoken to in over 20 years.

I'll end with this - I learned that Soup Kitchen's typically get overwhelmed with help around the holidays. I've made it a goal to volunteer at least 2 Mondays per month from now on. Why not? It's awesome!

Are you hungry?

2012-11-25T16:03:00.002-08:00

So a lot has changed since I last blogged. Doesn't it always though? Just to catch my fellow bloggers up to speed, which are mainly family and friends over seas...I've finally settled into my new apartment in Charlotte, NC. I've fallen in love with my job, working at the radio station...if you know me...you know I'm happy to be back in my field!

Other than settling in, I've reconnected with a few friends from college, started graduate school and am currently wrapping up my first semester. Things are great here, I've met a lot of wonderful people. I'm still trying to find my way around, find a church family, meet more friends and make this new place a comfortable home. I think so far, it's going well!

I'll stop with the "about me" stuff and get to the good part, probably the point of why you even clicked on the link to read this...Help Portrait.

Now that I've given you a preface, you probably know that I've taken up photography. No, I'm not the best, no...I don't have the time or money to dedicate my life to it (but it would be nice!) But, I do enjoy it and it makes me feel so good when I can do it for other people.

One day, I was probably gripping to someone about how all of the people that were helping me get my photography gig started, were back home in the mountains and that ever since my move, I have lost all of my clients. I complained that my camera is just a dust collector now and that I regretted even buying it.

I'll thank God for this one, because all of a sudden I just had an epiphany where I told myself to stop whining and make something happen. We should all know by now, nothing will happen unless you make it happen. I thought of ways to get my camera off of the self and into my hands and put to use. I started brainstorming different ideas that consisted of free holiday portraits. I thought of all of the churches in my neighborhood and toyed around with the idea of reaching out to them and to offer my services as a nice holiday gesture. Then it occurred to me that maybe there was something better I could do.

I googled soup kitchen's in Charlotte, clicked on the first one that came up and emailed the director. Within the hour I received an email back letting me know that they were thrilled about the idea.

I was excited, mainly that they were excited.

They proceeded to tell me that if I did this, I would need to break my time into two separate dates, because they have over 250 people/families that come to eat every single Monday.

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped at this number. It doesn't seem that big just reading it, but when you think about the task of taking 250 family photos...it immediately becomes a HUGE number.

This is obviously more that I had planned on doing. So, I went home and started crunching numbers of what it would cost for me to do this. It wasn't going to be cheap, but how could I say no now? If they can feed 250 people EVERY WEEK, then I'm SURE, with God by my side, I can take their Christmas photo.

I sent out an email to my close family members, the response was incredible. Then I sent out an email to a few very close friends letting them know what I was doing and asked them for their time and/or donations. I was weary, because I had never done anything like this before, I've never stepped into something so big, that I couldn't financially handle it on my own. This however, was something I felt like I just couldn't walk away from.

About a week later, the donations started coming in. People sent in blank CD's, money and holiday decorations for the photographs...it warmed my heart. Even my alma mater at WCU - The WCU Print Shop is offering us a discounted rate for prints.

Because of each of them, each family will receive a blank CD and an 8X10 print out of their family holiday portrait.

About a week ago, I met with the soup kitchen, went to the church where it is held and scoped out the area where I would be setting up. The ladies there were very kind and reminded me of the safety regulations of working with strangers. They assured me that most of them were very kind hearted people, but to always keep your guard up, even when your doing something nice.

It's the night before my first session, I'm all packed up, I have my release forms printed (thank you Help-Portrait for providing them) my lens is in, my battery pack is charged and my back drops are ironed. Now, I just need my nerves to be calm! I've been anticipating this for a while, all of the preparing and planning, is finally coming to life. I pray that people will graciously accept the gift tomorrow.

You can be a part of this still. I will be at the soup-kitchen on 11/26 (tomorrow) and 12/2 from 11am-1:30pm each day. Then on 12/8 I will be handing out the completed photograph packets to each family.

I'll update my blog again once I finish both sessions to let you know how it goes! My heart will be in a new place, so I pray that it stands strong for me while I snap away! :)

This quote shows up on the home page of the website and it just really stuck with me:

"We are all hungry for something.
Some of us are hungry for food.
Some of us are hungry for friendship.
Some of us are hungry to make a difference."

Ask yourself, what are you hungry for this year? You might be surprised what it is! Don't stop with that thought, keep going and see what you can make happen.

Thanks for reading!

Standing Tall

2012-06-03T20:23:00.002-07:00

As I blogged, last time..I work at Toshiba Business Solutions in Asheville, NC.

I started this job, as a new graduate from Western Carolina University. Where I studied broadcast journalism under the communication department. I fell in love with the industry and knew that's what I wanted to do. Well, I was off to a great start. I went to Germany for two months, published a travel guide and then came back to find...a really flimsy job market. I quickly found out that the jobs that I wanted (in the areas that I was considering) were few and far between. Then I quickly realized, that without a job I had no way of doing anything.

After getting on with Toshiba Business Solutions, I was worried that I wasn't going to be good at the job. It was a job in sales and my title was "Account Executive".....nothing I ever dreamt of being or even considered being. However, the opportunity was given and I jumped on it.

Two months down the road I was producing numbers that were incredibly average, nothing special. I was told "no" at least 15 times by business owners daily. I was naive to the business world and how it works. I believed what everyone told me, whole heartedly. In the end, it was me who lost out on important appointments, meetings and more importantly the potential money that I could have made. I was in tears every other day from the stress of disappointing people, the negativity and the deadlines and expectations that went along with it.

It didn't take me long after this phase to realize that I needed to make a change. If I wanted this career to turn into something, I needed to man up and prove to everyone (Toshiba & my clients) that I did in fact, know what I was talking about, that I was proud of the company that I represent and that my time is just as important as theirs and they shouldn't waste it.

Confidence is a funny thing. I'm just now getting the hang of it and I couldn't be more thankful. This job has blessed me with such an opportunity to grow and excel in areas that I never thought I could. Having the ability to talk to anyone, no matter what their age, sex, race, how much money they make, social status or personality, is a beautiful thing. Toshiba has taught me how to do that. It has taught me what it takes to be taken seriously as a professional.

God works in mysterious ways, so I've heard. I see how he is still working on me, even when he doesn't have college to use as a tool. I learn something new every day, still. I notice it, when I learn something new, as opposed to before when I took my teachers and educators for granted.

I am proud to work for such an outstanding organization, one that believes in me and is willing to work on making me not only a strong professional but a strong individual as well. Since this growth, I have scheduled more appointments, built life time relationships with clients in all different markets (churches, nonprofits, law, medical etc) and of course the main goal of working, making money.

The root of this change is though unlimited expectations for yourself and most of all, confidence.

#stilllearning

Standing in Transition.

2011-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've been back from Berlin for almost 2 months now and a lot has changed! (Miss you Helen King & Hayley Hatherall) When I first got back the newness of being home was exciting. I remember getting off of the plane, getting my bags and waiting in an elevator full of chatty people and thinking, "wow, it's so nice to be able to understand conversations that are going on around me". From there I went home.

I got home on a Saturday and on that following Monday I started a brand new routine, one well worth the time.

My beautiful baby cousin, Peyton Grace and I got to spend a lot of time together while I adjusted to being back home, spending endless hours filling out job applications and ....well....filling out more job applications. We did a lot though! We did head exercises, tummy time (where she proved her set of lungs to the max), met with physical therapists, went for strolls, watched "Yo Gabba Gabba" and lots of Good Morning America (she liked that too) ;) This limbo in between Berlin and starting my career was a new territory for me. I'm lucky I had Peyton around to keep me focused! She's a good listener!

This time period lasted for about a month and then things got a bit shaken up after I was called in for 2 job interviews. One in Charlotte and one in Asheville. The interviews were back to back, Tuesday and Wednesday in the beginning of October. The one in Asheville lasted for 20 minutes, while the one in Charlotte lasted 2 hours. That next day I was invited back to the potential job opportunity in Asheville for a 2nd interview. I went and fell in love with the opportunity right off. I was excited that after over 75 job applications, hours upon hours of filling out, rewriting cover letters and revising resumes I was finally given a chance.

That Monday, I was called in for a 3rd interview in Asheville where I was offered my first salary based career. As of that day, I was proud to say that I was the newest employee of Toshiba. My first day was that Thursday, where I was sent to Raleigh for a quarterly meeting. I drove down, checked into my hotel room and met up with my co-workers. I was informed that Toshiba had rented out a section on the roof of a bar in downtown Raleigh, so we all went. The whole time all I could think was, "is this real life???" Well, the next day it was proved to be real life when I was asked to stand up in front of over 100 Toshiba employee's and recite the 7 steps of a sale, while being timed. All I can say is, thank GOD I studied. (No, the studying doesn't stop after college, sorry)

Thank you, Folgers and Coffee Mate for being my best friend during those hard long hours of the eye twitching job search. I have a new found understanding for the job market, it's pathetic.

On a more productive note, as much as I love this new technical career I've begun, my creative background is still dying to find it's place in the world. So, look out for my new website, it's still under construction but you can check out the preview page. It will be up and running within the next two weeks.

Morgan Carver Photography

Enjoy and please be on the lookout for more information :)

Standing In Shock.

2011-08-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when we hear and learn about things growing up we don't always completely comprehend. We are molded from a young age to act, think and treat others a certain way. Those lucky enough to have a positive environment grow up to treat others with kindness, act civil and think with an open mind.

From the beginning of school we learn about history. In kindergarten, we learn about the Pilgrims and teachers usually try to make you dress up in some sort of pilgrim, turkey or Indian outfit and do a dance in front of your peers. We will always remember the story, because of that.

As time goes on we are shown other parts of history such as famous inventors, past presidents and such. We remember the story because we every time we turn on a light bulb, there is proof. Every time we tell a lie, maybe you'll remember your 3rd grade teacher telling you the story of the cherry tree.

We know about history because someone took the time to tell us about it. But why do we remember it? It's because we have things like stories, dances and physical proof to prove it.

As if getting older isn't hard enough, they ease you into more historical information with the Dinosaurs roaming the earth to Pilgrims feasting on Turkeys. Things get more brutal as the Titanic is introduced.
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This past weekend was the most eye-opening weekend of my entire life. I had a bucket list of things that I wanted to do and see while I am in Germany. The list was pretty long and I've managed to do everything on it, somehow. One of the things that was on my list was to make a trip to Krakow, Poland. What's in Krakow? An amazing city with one major downfall, its history. Krakow is the city where Auschwitz is located still today. For me, even making a whisper of the name gives me chill bumps.

My flat mate Helen and I decided that it would be worth seeing once and only once. We booked out 10 hour train ticket to Poland last week and on Friday we packed our bag and left. Once we arrived, we checked into our hostel and got to know the city as much as we could while we were there. Krakow is a lovely city full of castles and cathedrals. A newer part of the city is built around the medieval sector of it, giving it a quaint and lovely feel to it. We went to bed pretty early because we knew the next day was going to be a rough one.

We were right. On Saturday we were picked up from our hostel around 9:30am and we watched a documentary giving a very vivid image of what we were about to see. It was about an hour outside of the city and upon arrival we were given headsets so that our guide wouldn't have to yell or speak loudly while we were inside of the camp. The first thing you see when you walk in is the gate made of iron that reads "Arbeit macht frei" or in English, "Work sets you free". In that moment, you know you're there. You're in that place that you've read, learned and studied about since you were around 13 years old. All that was going through my head was "This is the place, I am here...in THIS place." I know it seems like such a simple minded thing to think when in such a ... astonishing (not in a good way) place, but it was too overwhelming. I didn't know what to think, what to say or how to feel. It was the most oppressive thing I have ever gone through.

I deliberated on whether or not I would share my story, because I didn’t know if I would give it the appropriate justice that it deserves when explained. The reason I decided to share, is because sometimes we grow up and we learn things that we are supposed to take more seriously and believe. I think that sometimes learning has become a process; it’s more of a list of things to get through before you get to the finish line. We don’t stop learning after high school or after college or after we get married. I think that the saddest part of the lack of care in the world to learn and understand is that we are given the opportunity; we should grasp it with every ounce and never let it go.

The Holocaust happened, it was real. We cannot ever imagine what those people went through, but the least that our generation can do now is to listen to their stories that they left behind, learn about what happened and not make the same mistake again. The trip was around five hours long; five long and silent hours. At the end of the tour through the camp we were thanked by our guide for visiting. She said (in her broken Polish-English accent) “I want to thank you for coming here; I know this is not an easy place to visit, but I think everyone should visit at least once”

“And only once”, I thought.

I will say though, if you have any questions or a particular interest with this part of history, I would be happy to share what I saw with you. I have photos but I’m not putting them on my blog. If you would like to see them, I would also be happy to share those with you too. My email is kmcarver3@gmail.com .

Goodbye, July!

2011-08-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a short clip of a variety of things that we saw and did in Berlin during the month of July. A flipcam quality view with cheap movie magic editing :) Enjoy!

Standing in ''Stairmany''

2011-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

I am renaming the country. Germany? No...Stairmany.
So. Many. Stairs.
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My roommates and I woke up early this morning and went straight to the Reichstag. The Reichstag is the building where they housed the Reischstag Parliment of the German Empire a bit before and after the Nazi Regime. They fully refurbished the Reichstag after the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the building is now used by today's German parlimant. Anyways, enough history.

To the right is a picture of my roommates and I at the Riechstag . The cool thing about Berlin is that even though it is huge, everything is reletively close by. It isn't built on a grid system like New York City, it is more like a big circle with an incredibly messy and unorganized train system. None the less, somehow it works and everyone manages to get around.

Next we walked over to The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Such a blunt name, yet appropriate all the while. The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete slabs, each being a different size and shape.

The feeling you get when walking down the long isles of the memorial is a little uneasy. The memorial is pretty intense and the architechure is unique and well thought out for what it represents. What lightened the mood was seeing families walk through the memorial playing hide and seek. It was a neat experience to feel instant solitude when standing in the middle of the memorial, surrounded by thousands of concrete slabes towering over you. In contrast, you hear children playing hide and seek, laughing in the background when you turn a corner through this stone maze. Props to that architech!

After that bomb that we dropped on ourselves we decided to do something fun. If you know me, then you know that fun must involve something with coffee, buffalo chicken or a budlight lime. Berlin only offers one of those things so we trailed our way straight to Starbucks, ironically located beside The Kenney Museum. After I had my daily dose of perfection, we headed to The Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz.

Potsdamer Platz is a really modern and cool area to be in. The Sony Center is like a gigantic outdoor mall covered by a dome that lights up different colors in the night! There is also an English movie theatre in there, which is extremely exciting for me. We walked around, checked out some cafes, the 2012 VW Beetle display and the Boulevard of Stars (just like a 100m long Hollywood. There is also the ''Filmhaus'' inside which I am also really excited about.It is a museum full of televsion, filming equipment from the past century,the history that goes along with it all and what films/shows were produced with them. It's on my to-do list.

On to the rest of the day....more importantly...the BEST part!!

I went to the Olympic Stadium. Wait wait wait...there is more. I actually swam in the Olympic Stadium pool as well! Yes, the one where the 1936 Olympic games took place. The pool was huge and had a nice area to lay out. The sun finally decided to grace us with its presence today so taking a dip in the Olympic pool followed by a nap in the sun next to it was nothing less than perfect (especially for €2.50).

Being in Berlin is different than being anywhere else (such a vague point, I know) but the difference is, is that where ever I may be standing at that point, I am always thinking of the history, or wondering what took place exactly where I am standing or what it looked like 60 years ago. It's like living in a really artsy, liberal history book. Weird to say that about Germany, but more so amazing.

At Charlottenburg Palace gardens, holding up a tree of course.

The top floor of the building that I live in, also known as my apartment...8 flights of stairs :)

I was standing in the middle of a riot...

2011-07-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I was sitting in a friends flat drinking some coffee when I heard what sounded like a gun go off, although I think it was a flaregun or some sort of firework. I ran to the window to see hundreds of people flooding the street that were screaming ''fuck the police'' in German. Much more was said during the riot, but unfortunately the language barrier got in my way of understanding everything. After seeing the flood of people, we see about three German police vans full of fully armed policemen unloading on our street where they quickly tried to barracade the street to keep people from surging in. Of course, seeing all of this happening right outside my window, made my journalistic curiousity take over and I ran outside with two of my coworkers to find out what was going on. Fully functional with my PJs on and Flip Cam in hand, we started asking questions as soon as we got on the street. Luckily, two people were willing to answer our questions in English. I recorded what they said, but eventually I got shut down near the end.

The riot took place in the district of witch I live in, Kreuzberg. An protester for anit-globalization was shot by an Italian policeman on July 21, 2001 and on Saturday, July 16, 2011; people have once again stood up and reminded everyone of his death, raging against policemen. The protester was one of many in the demonstration that threw rocks at police vans and became quite aggressive. What one may note as defence, (

Italy

's interior minister) others will note as an unnecessary violent attack on demonstrators.
It was interesting to see how the police handled the riot last night. It was different than it would be in America. The police worked around the protesters, not against them. They did not stand infront of them, or yell back. They walked inbetween them in the streets and took the criticism. They created mild barracades around the district so that cars could not go through, creating a safer environment for bystandards during the protest. There was a helicopter hovering above to keep an eye out for the continuous moving riot location.

There were a lot of loud noices, yelling and hurt in the air. However, there was no violence. What sounded like something incredibly horrendous happening, turned out to be much more remorseful and peaceful than presented. In America, I think one would be more likely to get punched while in a room with two opposing fans of the NFL, than last nights riot in Berlin.

"Standing in a Sea of Sparkling Water"

2011-07-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

When in Germany...do as the Germans do...yes? Well one thing that the German's just can't seem to get enough of is Sparkling water. Sadly for me, I'm not much of a fan. When going into a restaurant or bar, asking for still water really isn't socially acceptable. Luckily today, I finally found the non carbonated goodness at a store called "Litle" which is like the equivalency of an "Aldi" or a "Go Grocery" in the US. The reason I was so adament about getting the gracious water was because my first 2 days in Berlin have worn me out. Would you like to hear about it; The story of the American girl blowing fuses, racing in Frankfurt airports, and losing a very important key?

Day 1 ---

Getting to the Charlotte airport was pretty smooth, aside from the TWO times I misplaced my wallet, luckily for me, someone turned it in each time. It would be unfair to not mention the $150 baggage fee I had to pay for the extra weight in my bag...word for the wise..don't over stuff your bag, just take two when traveling to Europe..you'll save about $100.

I got on the plane and was extremely wired about traveling that far. Eventually....well...9 hours later I landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Once in Frankfurt, I had to recheck my luggage....which was a huge hassle in itself. After getting the baggage situation settled and dumping a few bottles of soap and shampoo to reach the weight limit... it was 5 minutes until the plane boarded. I was told, "SPRINT RUN GO'' ...so I did.

I made it just in time too. The 45 minute flight flew by and finally, I was in the sexy city of Berlin!!

My project coordinator met me right at the door and I recognized the sign that read "City Travel Review" and he quickly helped me with my bags and we were able to get a month rail pass, and exchange my dollars for a few Euro.We got straight on a train a trailed our ways in the pouring rain to my new flat.

I ran into my roommate in our room and immediately asked her if she wanted to grab dinner...little did I know.. it was 11am in Germany and nobody in their right mind eats dinner at 11am; Jet lag much?

I settled in and then we went out for lunch where I had my first German meal. I had a Doner Kebab, which is what the picture is of on the right. It's usually lamb served with vegetables and a side of bread. It is one of Germany's most famous dishes.
Later on that night we went out and I had a Choco Coloda at a little cocktail bar on my street. It wasn't the best cocktail I have ever had, it was really strong and tasted like straight Baileys. After that, we went to a little mini mart where I stocked up on the ever so famous, pasta!! (Traveling isn't cheap, sooo...bring on the pasta!!) I also bought 3 different types of bottled beer. I only paid 2.50 Euro for 3 beers and I was very excited about that as opposed to ordering dollar PBR at the Bone Shack. I didn't like the first 2 beers that I tried, so I was hoping I would like the 3rd, luckily, I loved it! The taste is very similar to Blue Moon and I am so pleased that I have found a beer that I can enjoy while in Germany. It's called Schofferhofer, but I plan on keeping my still water and open mind. The mini marts around here are made up of 80 percent beer, 10 percent cigarettes and the rest is basically sausage.

After gathering the necessities (pasta and beer) we headed back to our flat only to find that we had locked ourselves out and had to stay at our neighbors flat next door who are also doing the project. It was a very long night, to say the least. The next day was much better, after we were let back into our flat, I washed the airline and jetlag stigma off and decided to dry my hair. Long story short, I used the wrong converter and blew a fuse and had my own July 4th fireworks. Luckily, no major harm was done and I went to work for our first staff meeting. The walk to work is only about a 15 minute walk from the neighborhood I am living in. We had an orientation meeting and discussed a few things about the expectations. That night my Europen flat mates and neighbors talked me into celebrating the great American holiday,July 4th. So we all put on our red, white and blue and headed out for the night! It was a great night. Germany takes a lot of getting used to, especially since everything..and I do mean EVERYTHING is written in German. Hopefully these German classes will treat me well and I'll learn to use the RIGHT converter, keep up with a key and stay away from Frankfurt airports for a while. All is good here, and I will keep you updated.

I was standing in a Rafting Outfitters...

2011-06-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Working...that is. Standing, not so much. The smell of summer wreaks of sweaty bodies in nylon personal flotation devices and Tuckaseegee water. Wait, let's not put a negative essence on rafting though, it does deserve acknowledgement for being promising entertainment for locals, travelers and visitors who are looking for a good time. I see people of all ages/ethnicities/and backgrounds come down the river; most...do love it.

I only say "most", because you'll get the occasional visitors that will come in, looking to broaden their horizon (which I do appreciate and admire) of interest and activities. These people, THE people, will ask questions such as:

"Will I be needing my keys?"

"What if a snake gets in my boat, what do I do?"

"Do you think it'll be okay to wear these high heels?"

or my personal favorite ..

"Is there a snack bar on the way down the river?"

Generally,while giving people the benefit of the doubt, you let some silly questions slide that may show a slight hint of ignorance toward the activity that they are about to encounter, rafting. However, I do think that if you plan on trying something new that you don't know anything about, at least take five minutes to google it.

I'm not saying this as to be harsh; I'm saying this because that's exactly what I did before I started this job.

Click here to view my first trip down the Tuck!

I was standing at beside two web developers...

2011-04-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, some might just say they are two seniors with big dreams. However, these driven individuals have put their minds together and created something that might revolutionize Cullowhee. Justin Rhodes and Nathan Hunzaker, both seniors, have created a website called www.cullowhere.com; this website takes the RSS feed from WCU and other local business's and compiles it all together to give students and locals a grounded place to go online to check out what's going on in the area.

They're going to the five ventures competition this month, in hopes to win the grand prize of money and investors to help support and run the site.

--

It's good to see my peers doing big things. I'm proud to see things like this. Cullowhee doesn't appear to be an active town but there are a lot of things that go on that no one knows about, especially on campus. If you're in Cullowhee, check out www.cullowhere.com.

I was standing in front of two actors...this is what they said...

2011-03-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Kiss Me, Kate is happening this weekend! I was lucky enough to get an interview with Casey Weems and Patrick Detloff, both holding the main parts of the play. This play is going to be one for the books, so I really don't think that anyone should miss this. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible!

The video above will give you a general overview of the play as well as dates, times, prices etc.

I'm sad to say that it has taken me until my senior year of college to realize how many AMAZING events take place in the Fine and Performing Arts Center here at WCU. I'm so impressed with the amount of talent this campus has, especially in Musical Theatre. Help me spread the word about this play. These students have been preparing for months for these three performance dates that are about to take place this weekend.

I find musical theatre fascinating, not only because of the immense amount of entertainment that it provides, but also because it's something that I could personally never do. I can't imagine being in front of all of those people, all eyes on you. I find that incredibly intimidating. I think it takes someone with a lot of personality and stamina to be in theatre, as well as being comfortable with who you are. What impresses me most about actors and actresses is that they can get up on the stage, pretend to be someone else and rock the performance. It seems like that would take a lot of guts and I admire that. I hope that someday I can have half of the fortitude that they hold.

With that said, go watch Kiss Me, Kate! It's going to be an excellent performance by our very own Western Carolina students. I don't think that you'll be disappointed!

I was standing on top of the world..

2011-03-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is starting to shine through and I know that I was just aching to get outside and get some vitamin D in my system. Last weekend I went on a hike through Tellico Gap up to Wesser Bald. Watch my movie and get a glimpse of what I saw.

My friend Ed took my little brother Reed and I up to the observation deck at the top of Wesser Bald. Wesser Bald is located about 6 miles up from Nantahala Outdoor Center. It's a great hike, about a mile and a half up from Tellico Gap. The view is gorgeous. Being up that high and getting a panoramic view of the mountains, you feel like you are literally standing on top of the world.

If you can time it right, start your hike around 5 o'clock and once you get to the top, you'll get to see the sunset from the observation deck. Sunsets are already a beautiful site, however, getting to see one from the top of a mountain may just make it that much better.

The observation deck was built in the 1930's, burnt down in a fire and was rebuilt later and is now used as an observation deck. It's old and somewhat shaky. If you are scared of heights this may not be the best for you. If you can build up some guts and climb the stairs, you won't regret it once you get to the top. It's a good feeling being up there, knowing that what you are looking at are all pieces of God's work. It's amazing to think that what all that is right infront of you is real, it looks like canvas, unreal and untouchable. It's all in once view, all at the tip of your eyes.

Living in Western North Carolina has so many advantages, people don't realize it sometimes. I'm guilty of it myself. There are so many natural wonders right here in our back yard; I wouldn't mind finding myself in more places like this.

If anyone knows about any hot spots, please comment below and tell me about it! I've seen a lot of The Great Smoky Mountains, but I would love to see more. Tell me about your favorite place; where you felt like you were standing on top of the world.

I was standing in Daytona's International Speedway..

2011-03-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

As a young southern woman, you would think that I would have a slight love for NASCAR, or even just some sort of concept of the workings behind it. For some reason the inter workings of my family have led me in a direction that has somewhat deterred me from the sport, and led my interests elsewhere.

For spring break, I went to Daytona Beach, Florida. Since I do have a heart for traveling, learning, and seeing new things, NASCAR was on the top 3 things I wanted to see on my spring break aside from the beach, for sunshine and tanning and my pillow for napping and reading.

I think that since NASCAR is such a foreign sport to me, my desire to understand it sparked when I realized I was probably the only person who grew up in the south that doesn't like/participate in NASCAR. Once I got to Daytona my friends and I stopped at Daytona International Speedway where all of the magic happened. Since the big 500 race just took place last month, I felt like I just missed Santa, the magic had JUST happened but I was a week late. The track was huge, well actually it was 2.5 miles long to be exact. Being there and still not understanding how it worked gave me an itch that I couldn't scratch.

Whenever I got back home, I researched NASCAR and the logistics of the sport. I asked my friends for help and advice and I was blown away with information from EVERYONE.

After posting my status on Facebook as "Morgan Carver has to write a story on NASCAR and Daytona 500, I know ZERO about NASCAR. Who can fill me in?"

I had 16 comments within just a few minutes and 25 comments over all. Luckily one of my friends from class, Katy Levi, emailed me a power point that she did on NASCAR and how it worked. It helped me out more than anything!

What really gets me...is that Trevor Bayne, 20 years old just won the Daytona 500 last month. He is now a millionaire. I am 20 years old, and all I own are the clothes on my back. I called my mom and told her I may take up a new hobby...NASCAR here I come! ;)

The Koresh Dance Company, Something Brilliant.

2011-02-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Video created by : Morgan Carver, Jon D'Amato, Elizabeth VanMetre, KB Carpenter

Last month, I went to a performance at Western Carolina University's Fine and Performing Arts Center, featuring The Koresh Dance Company.

I was a little skeptical about going to this show because I had never heard of something like this and every time I asked someone to illustrate what their shows were like, they had a hard time answering.

The show was titled "Evolution" and was more or less a story shared through dance. It was the story of how we as human beings evolved into the manufacturing slaves that we are today. We started out as awkward, barbaric humans and have grown into structured, poised robots. It was interesting to see the story told without words, purely through dance and movement.

The Poetry Slam

2011-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

So last week I went to the Poetry Slam on Western Carolina University's campus. The event was held in the dining hall, right next to Starbucks! The poets came together in honor of Martin Luther King week. This year marks Martin L. King Jr's 82nd birthday and the 25th anniversary of the MLK holiday.

I feel like the students brought a different message to the room, but still stayed within the same theme... equality. I was impressed by the number of students that attended and supported one another as they stood in front of their peers to share their own work, favorite poets and authors.

Above is a video, of some of the students that participated in the Poetry Slam on 1/21/2011.