Sunrise on Haleakala

One of the things I never got to do during my time in Hawaii was see the sun rise on Haleakala, an inactive volcano on the island of Maui. It was the last week on board for the cast, so they were dying to see the sunrise as well!

My alarm went off at 3am and I headed off to the gangway to meet my car full of adventurers! We kept each other awake until we got to the outlook on the top of Haleakala. Then we set an alarm and slept off the three am drive. 

Sleepy friends on a volcano.

Fun fact: It's actually freezing on top of a volcano, even in Hawaii. The elevation is 10,023 feet! This is definitely the most clothing you'll see on someone in Hawaii. (Except for maybe when it snows!)






The sunrise was not at it's best, but we made the most of an early morning and enjoyed the view nonetheless!

A Vacation In Hawaii? How Original! (Part 1)

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love surprising people. If I can feasibly pull off a great surprise, I go all out! (Check out part two of my surprise for my best friend Kathryn last year!) This surprise, however, was on a much bigger scale than I think I have ever done.

One of my favorite people from my time working on the Pride of America flew me out to Hawaii to surprise some of our friends onboard! First of all, what a surprise for me! How lucky am I to have such a wonderful friend? Kyle, you're the best! But more on that later!

Of course I couldn't turn down his incredible offer, so off to Hawaii I went!

When I landed in Honolulu, it felt like a dream. Most casts, and all passengers, arrive in Honolulu, Oahu when they board the Pride of America. However, I wasn't in my original cast, so I embarked in Kauai and missed this view!

Getting onboard was hilarious. As I walked with my carry-on luggage to board the ship, my best friend Alexa (one of the many to be surprised!) biked past me. I turned my back quickly hoping she hadn't seen me. She didn't see me, but my friends Andy and Justin sure did! They knew I was coming and helped me get onboard without Alexa seeing me! Thanks, guys!

I got through security, surprised a few more folks as I boarded, and then ran into the embarkation welcome party! On Norwegian ships, dancers and Cruise Staff work together to welcome people onto the ship. I was so fortunate that none of my friends were working, however, I was recognized by the other cast members!

The biggest thing to know about working on cruise ships is how close in proximity you are working and living with the crew. I liken it to living in the dorms your freshman year of college. It's a blessing and a curse, but at the end of the day you end up knowing everyone onboard better than you ever imagined. So, when you disembark the ship or someone comes to visit, you truly feel like you know them. Suddenly, someone who you may have seen in photos or on Facebook comes to life in front of you- and that's exactly what happened!

My new dancer friends promised to keep quiet until I could surprise my friends onboard at the Pool Party later in the day!

I got into Kyle's cabin and got settled. Then, I decided to surprise one of the most wonderful, caring, adventurous people I have ever gotten to work with, Vincent. Vincent, as you might remember, was a performer with me onboard the Pride of America last year. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to sing jazz standards with him every week in the Skyline restaurant. I knew if I wrote a lyric from one of our standards, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," on his whiteboard he would know I wrote it.

As soon as he saw it, he texted me, just like I suspected he would. I left Kyle's room and walked down the hall. I knocked on Vincent's door. He opened it, saw me, and shut it immediately! I wished I had recorded his shock, but I know I'll never forget it! I was so thrilled to see my Vincent after almost a year apart!

Next came the biggest surprise yet... The cast! But more on that to come!

XOXO,
Meghan

ps: Had so much fun updating you guys from my phone! What! More of that (and figuring out this Blogger app) to come! XO.

Puppy Love

This past Saturday my roommates, a few friends, and I went to Broadway Barks!













Broadway Barks is an event held in Shubert Alley every year to benefit local shelters and help raise awareness for pet adoption! It was founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore and has been going on for 17 years!

What a blast we had! We pet all kinds of dogs and ran into so many people we knew. It was so hard not to take them home!















Then, the main event! Bernadette Peters and the new Equity president, Kate Shindle, opened the 17th Annual Broadway Barks! A slew of Broadway performers came and introduced dogs. Andrew Rannells also stopped by and helped find some pups their new homes!

We had so much fun! And, bonus shot! Here's me with a Great Dane! He was bigger than I am! I only wish this lovebug could fit in my apartment!

Have a great week!
Meghan

Tangible Love

If you're a dear friend of mine you know one thing to be true: I love sending letters.

Real life mail is such a wonderful thing. Opening up your mailbox can feel like such a chore. If you aren't paperless, every time you open your mailbox it feels like bills come pouring out. Student loans, credit cards, utility bills, rent, cell phone, car payment- you name it, it's there.

But! What if we all started sending letters, forms of tangible love, that reminded you that someone took the time to think of you and focus on how important you are to them. It's not a text or a facebook message. It's not a snapchat that disappears in ten seconds. It is a surefire way to tell someone how much you care.

• It starts with the stationary. Personally, I love to buy all kinds of stationary. Michael's actually has awesome stationary in their dollar bins... win! I love deals like this because I never want to send the same card twice, and that way I can't get bored of the stationary I use either! You can also make stationary (I'm a big fan of watercoloring a card!) Or, find printables online!

• Next, get on Pinterest! (Check out my letter writing pins here!) And check out some awesome ways to address your envelope! Nothing surprises a friend, family member, or significant other like a well addressed envelope. It builds the excitement for this awesome treat!

• Now comes the best part! The actual letter! I'm a fan of starting out with how much someone means to me, how important they are in my life, and how much I miss them! Or, if you've created a correspondence with someone, try sharing an quote that spoke to you recently or reminded you of them. Next, ask some real questions that helps them know that you truly think about them. Allow yourself room to use your stream of consciousness and delve into exactly what you would ask if that person was right in front of you, catching up over a cup of coffee! Give them details about your life, too- things that you wouldn't post generally on facebook. If you write back and forth, be sure to answer their questions they asked you and respond to the details they shared last! Don't forget to sign it with an anecdote of time you spent together! If you're feeling really fun, throw a picture of the two of you together inside the card!

• Lick that envelope, stamp it, and put it in the mailbox! You'll be sure to get an awesome message from your friend telling you how great it was to hear from you- and, even better, you might get a letter in return! 

Sending mail is such a wonderful thing. I know that when I receive mail, I keep it forever! Nothing is more important to me than my friends who took the time to write me. Since my friends and I are always off adventuring in far off places, sometimes all it takes is a letter to brighten your whole day! Even a postcard does the trick!



But, keep in mind you don't have to send all of your mail off to far off places. Sometimes I write my friends in the same town! If we had a really wonderful day together or their having a rough week, I'm bound get out some stationary and send them a card. It's the extra mile that creates lifelong friendships.

So what are you doing? Go grab a pen and draft a letter to someone you love! It'll feel so good to spread some sunshine!

XO,
Meghan

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

What a blast this weekend was! As if the SoBro CrossFit Bronx Brewery Competition on Saturday wasn't enough, today I got to attend my first New York baseball game!

We had tickets for the afternoon Mets game against the Reds. The surprise though, was that because the game the day before had been rained out, we got to see a double header!




The game from the day before went to 13 innings! The Mets won 2 to 1. 

Our gorgeous view of Citi Field!

The second game was a huge win for the Mets, with a 7 to 2 win, and a record for Steven Matz! He became the first MLB pitcher to record four RBIs (runs batted in) in a debut! His parents were there and so proud! What a fun moment to witness!

Derek, Josh, myself, Alan, Amanda, and Jan!
Citi Field through the afternoon, evening, rain, and during Steve Miller!

I attended the game with some of my favorite CrossFit Queens friends. We had such a blast through the rain and sun! 

Steve Miller Band! Is this real life!?

Then, as if a double header wasn't enough, the Steve Miller Band performed! The Joker, Abracadabra, Jet Airliner, Keep On Rockin' Me Baby... So many hits and he still sounds incredible!

I'm so grateful to have such wonderful, adventurous, dear people in my life. Life could never be dull with these humans!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Meghan

Battle at the Brewery

I have been looking forward to this Saturday because my best friend and a bunch of our friends from CrossFit Queens competed in the SoBro CrossFit competition at the Bronx Brewery.

The day was a little grey, but we didn't mind! My friend Jordan and I cheered everyone on as they ran, carried kegs, thrusted kettle bells, and killed wall balls and pull ups.

Then, my best friend Josh made it to the top six finalists! He did a chipper with 40 burpees, thrusters with a 55 pound weighted bag, 200 meter 190 pound sled, 200 meter run, and 1000 meter row. It was crazy and I did not envy that WOD (workout of the day) but I was so proud of him! He killed it and placed fourth!
















It was such an awesome day filled with people pulling off all kinds of impressive feats! 

Everyone worked so hard and I was jealous I didn't think to compete! So jealous even, that I took this picture with a kettle bell to represent my love of CrossFit!

Tomorrow I'm headed out to a Mets vs Reds game at Citi Field! New York, you never let me down.

XO,
Meghan

Watercolor

In an effort to continue to find creative outlets in my life, one day I decided to try watercoloring.

I mean, you've seen it all over Pinterest, Taylor Swift is doing it... Why can't I? So out I went to Michael's to buy the tools I needed to create.

Although I thought it might be something I do a few times and tire of, I was mistaken! I love my watercolor time because it gives me a relaxing thing to do at night that actually feels productive. I put on jazz music or an old movie, light some candles, and let the inspiration lead! Sometimes big brush strokes turn into flowers, sometimes quotes pop out at me until I have to paint them... the opportunities are endless! Plus, hey! Free art!

Go find something creative to do!
Meghan