Meet Our New Friend! Megan!

A few weeks ago, we stumbled onto this blog (Keepin' It Real Blog to the right), where lovely Megan had just declared her own Year of No Fear! Woo hoo! We were so excited, we immediately asked her if we could spotlight her here, and she graciously assented. Megan's blog makes for delightful reading. For her YoNF thus far, she has braved the weight room at the gym (AWESOME! And how did it go?), and joined a book club mere weeks after relocating. She has an adorable daughter and handsome husband, is still searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, and uses the phrase 'kindred spirit' (Dear JW: It's 'Anne' related.), which clearly means she is one.

From Mrs B: Megan, I have a recipe which is rumored to make the best chocolate chip cookies around. I obtained it only after much flattery, polite begging, and proof that I owned the proper baking equipment and ingredients. I still can't make them just right. (I'm beginning to suspect the original chef is holding out on some secret ingredient.) But if I can get security clearance, I'm going to email the recipe to you anyway . . . maybe you'll have the magic touch!

From Year of No Fear: Megan, I have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe around! I've heard the secret is powdered vanilla instead of liquid. I told Mrs. B I have the best and we decided it was time for a bake off, she's going to challenge my recipe against her friend's, made by her friend so I can get the real taste. I think it's a win-win, I get to eat great cookies! I only wish I could give you a glimpse into the small changes YoNF has done for me that I haven't had a chance to blog about. I believe that you will overcome many of them and explore new ones and I know you will be shocked by the number of new friends coming your way with year of no fear.

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We asked Megan a few questions, and here's how she answered:

What's the last book you read? (or favorite book . . . or both) I just finished reading one of the best books I've read for a long time. It called 'The Book Thief' and is written by Markus Zusak. It is such a beautifully written story, and I highly recommend it to anyone! And I think I would have to say that my favorite novel is 'The Secret Life of Bees'.

Where would you go on your dream vacation? Oh, this is a really hard one. I LOVE to travel, and have done a fair bit (although not so much since having a baby). The mere thought of hopping on an airplane or gearing up for a road trip gets my adrenaline pumping! But I think if I could pick one place to go right now, I would have to say Italy. I would love to visit some of the smaller villages and country side of Northern Italy.

Tell us one completely random thing about you. I am a great shower singer! My favorite song to sing in the shower is 'The Star Spangled Banner'. And I can really get into it:)

What fear are you most reluctant to conquer? You know, I had to spend a lot of time thinking about this one. I think most of the time I don't really know what a lot of my fears are until I'm being faced with it. I don't really have a list of fears that I want to overcome...I just seem to tackle them them when they arise. But there is one. It's a big one. It's so big that I've really only talked to my husband about it. But it takes a little explanation, so bare with me! Every year my husband and his dad hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim in one day. Everyone in my husband's family has done it at least once...except for me. I've had good reasons (or excuses, which ever you'd like to call it) not to. The first few years I couldn't get time off of work or school. The next year I was pregnant, and the year after that I had a nursing baby. But I really want to do it. I want to train and get in shape. I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish something like that, and live to tell about it. I want to stand at the top of one rim, look out at the other side, and say to myself 'look where I just came from'. But I am scared! Oh, am I scared. I am scared of the training it will take. I'm scared of the 24 miles of desert. I'm scared of leaving my baby for 3 days. I'm just plain scared.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done (and are willing to admit to)? Hmmm. So many things to choose from! Well, I did go through a skinny dipping phase while I was in college. And I have to be honest...I really love skinny dipping! I think everyone should do it at least once in their life. It's totally exhilarating, and liberating, and naughty. And I hope I do it again someday! But I better stop because I think this is a PG blog:)

Will you be reading the 4th Twilight book (we are a blog divided on this point)? Sure. I have fond memories of reading the first 3 while I was nursing my baby. They were fun 'fluff' reading. Although I probably won't read the 4th for a long time because I won't buy it...and who knows how long I'll have to wait for it at the Library.

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Megan, thanks for letting us spotlight you! We can't wait to see how your Year of No Fear goes!