Month: July 2014

Recap of 27 To Do While 27

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

My 27 year has come to an end.  Now it’s time to bust out my 27 to do while 27 list and see how I measured up. Here is a list of what I accomplished… or sort of accomplished.


 10784674746_c9014c76b5_b 10784688356_5e33098866_c 10784784164_22b062e942_c1weekend recap

wedding photo
We got hitched!

I continued to work and build up this little blog of mine

One goal was to move to a home with a basement, which we did for about 9 months then we moved to a house without one.  Oh well – I have to pick my battles.

Pay off some bills, which we have paid a few off and we still have a few more to go.

Teach Tiny a few new tricks was one goal. I am proud to say she now knows how to stay.  Not a huge improvement, but she’s not as terrified as she used to be around others and that’s a huge accomplishment in my book.

guilty pleasure

Become an avid amateur photographer.  I still have a lot of work to do, but I’ve held a few photoshoots for friends and family.  It makes me happy to develop my skill and even more happy that people will be my models.

I am proud to say we hosted quite a few dinners with our friends.  Nothing beats beautiful weather, ice-cold beer, playing washers in our backyard and someone grilling some good food.

I’ve also gotten a lot better in controlling my road rage.  I have my moments, but am finally getting calmer on the road.  I had a pretty bad habit of getting annoyed with people driving slow or trying to pass me in the right lane.  I knew I needed to slow it down when I tried to race a sheriff on the highway who was just trying to get around me. Yeah, that happened.

I have been cooking so many different recipes and creating my own this past year.  It’s been amazing the new ingredients I’ve been using and the meals I’ve been whipping up.

With all the cooking we’ve been doing, J and I haven’t felt the need to eat out as much.  It saves money and we can spend more time together without a lot of people around.

I’ve slowly but surely created a blogging routine that works for me.  I have a calendar planned and I work hard at sticking to it.  Of course I’m willing to change things up when I have something fun or exciting to talk about.

I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to keeping my bedroom clean, but the parts of the house guests see has been kept a lot neater.

J and I took our honeymoon last month.  AHHH it was ah-mazing!  I mean so beautiful!  We laid on a beach, drank pretty drinks and just spent time together.

12 out of 27 isn’t the best odds. I mean it’s not even 50%.  A few months after turning 27 I took a hard look at my goals and realized that some weren’t even important or a priority.  I am not upset about changing my goals, like…

I ended up closing my MereLynneConcepts Etsy shop (well putting it in vacation mode).  I just didn’t find the work worthwhile to stress with.  Now I am working on a new project and am super excited about it.

We didn’t take a drive down to the local drive-in for a date night, but there is one close to us in our new town.  We may go at some point.

I failed at starting a small garden, but I like to think it’s because I didn’t even attempt… not because I was scared of my black thumb or anything.

Learn to successful do a fishtail braid… Well that was a failure because now my hair is too layered and too short.

And… there were some that I revised and added to my 28 while 28.

28 To Do While 28

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

birthday
Today is my birthday.  I am still pinching myself in disbelief that I am 28 years old. I just can’t believe it.  My life has changed so much since I turned 27, and when I say change I mean a roller coaster of ride to the better type of change.

Let’s see – J and I moved – twice…We got married…I started a new career that I am so uber excited about that I couldn’t sleep for days after talking and planning it…I live in my hometown and it’s actually not that bad.  I enjoy it…I am in the process of designing and creating a new calendar…I have spent lots of time with our families and our friends…we took our honeymoon…I could go on and on.

Now that I am 28 it’s time to start contemplating what I want to accomplish this year… What is my 28 to do while 28?

  1. Stay with my healthier lifestyle because it really does make a difference
  2. Go to 28 concerts/shows/plays/etc.
  3. Launch my new calendar line that I am obsessed with
  4. Continue kicking butt to become a CFP
  5. Get better taking and processing photos
  6. Grow merelynne.com by 50% this year
  7. Start an e-newsletter for my calendar and merelynne.com
  8. Travel to…anywhere and everywhere
  9. Help someone in need
  10. Host a Christmas party
  11. 10 DIY projects
  12. Girls’ weekend
  13. Go to lake as much as possible
  14. Mother/Daughters’ trip
  15. Put a little blue in my hair for a short while
  16. Stop drinking soda
  17. Take exams for work to become licensed
  18. Make a t-shirt quilt out of my Sorority shirts
  19. Get involved with CrossFit…again
  20. Redesign merelynne.com
  21. Create a beautiful workspace at home
  22. Do a fun Christmas photoshoot with J, me and the pups
  23. Finally create our engagement (and now wedding) journal
  24. Somehow manage the crazy pups so I can do a photoshoot of them
  25. Decorate our new house
  26. Pay down more bills
  27. Worry and Stress less
  28. Have the time of my life

AHHH!  I cannot wait to get started on my list and to see what this next year holds for me.  I’ve been pretty blessed and am counting my blessings!

Happy Birthday to My Sister

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Some people aren’t lucky enough to be born into a family that supports and loves one another like I was.  I have been on such an amazing journey knowing that I am loved.  I know I have a family that will stand up for me, no matter what.  I remember once in junior high my Mom staging a sit-in at the principal’s office, all because I had one-too-many tardies and was going to get Saturday school.  I was too young to drive and why should I be punished for the bus running late because every kid on the bus received a tardy that morning or why was I going to be in trouble because my parents were running late?  My Mom didn’t see the point of Saturday school and my tear-filled face couldn’t stand the thought of being punished for something that was out of my control.  So, my Mom sat, sat some more, and refused to get up.  Wouldn’t you know the principal cracked first and my tardiness was excused, and I was free to sleep-in that Saturday?  That’s love.
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I grew up in a small(ish) town knowing that my older sister was my protector.  I was one of the first kids in daycare to learn how to tie her own shoes.  Mainly because my sister was tired of always having to show me.  So she sat me down in our family room one afternoon and showed me how.  She must have demonstrated a thousand times.  For some reason she didn’t lose her patience with me and celebrated my final victory of getting the last around and through the hole.   She was the one that taught me how to be cool, not be a tattle-tale because “you know what happens to tattle-tales? They end up stuffed inside a locker,” and she taught me how to let loose in college.

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I’m lucky my sister stood with me on my wedding day and held my dress while I went pee like fifty times that day (at least it felt like that much).  I cannot wait to celebrate her big day on a beach in Florida with her.  She deserves greatness and is destined for success.  Happy, happy  birthday to my older sister.  I can’t wait until the day that we are both in our 80’s sitting outside on a front porch yelling at those youngin’s while holding a martini in one hand.
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4th of July is my favorite

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

4th of july

4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year.

The smell of fireworks fill the dark sky, lightening bugs flickering in the air, and the sound of crickets chirping far off in the distance.  It’s a beautiful thing.    What’s not to love?!  I get to spend all day laying out by the pool while the Mom grills yummy food.  Then the evening is filled with bright lights, crackling sounds and lots of laughter.  Sounds like a pretty decent way to spend your day.

Last year J and my sister were deemed the official firework artists.  They were getting all into it and not really paying attention.  I mean, it was pretty dark outside and they didn’t really come prepared with flashlights.  Next thing we hear is my sister tell J that there was a small fire behind his foot.  He stomped out and then Dad took off to get a shovel.  The entire family couldn’t stop laughing.  The two pyros were about to really get the show going.

My Grandma carried the hilarious incident over to Christmas and gave them both a baseball cap with a light attached to the bill.

The 4th of July brings out the best in all of us.

My birthday and my sister’s is only a few days after the 4th.  When I was little I naturally thought all the fireworks were the kickoff to my birthday celebration.  It didn’t help my egotistical ways when we ate birthday cake the day BEFORE my birthday thanks to my sister’s being 2 days before mine.  She had to wait a whole day and I got cake early.  I had to be the favorite child, right?  Right.

Okay, I know that’s not true.  A girl could dream though.

What’s your favorite holiday?  I’d love to know!

What I’ve Learned From Owning A Dog

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

What I've Learned From Owning a Dog
1) their love is unconditional and always forgiving.  They easily let go of the fact you’re home an hour late or can’t take them to the dog park like your promised.

2) it takes hard work to care for another living being.  I mean, you have to fill their water bowl up several times a day.  Heaven forbid you’re a little late on serving dinner because you might end up with a dinner bowl chewed to pieces and strewn across the living room.

3) they don’t judge you for eating your second helping of ice cream… in the past 20 minutes.  If they had it their way that jar of treats you have on the counter would be gone in less than 5 minutes.

4) how to be polite to a passerby who thinks you have the sweetest dog in the world.  Because, the truth is, you do have the sweetest dog in the whole wide world and it’s only natural they want to share in your joy.

5) they never complain about my cooking and are always eagerly awaiting a taste or better yet, leftovers.  I’ve learned to eat my dinners with my plate as close to my face as possible so I do not have to glimpse into those sad puppy-dog eyes.

6) their attention to security is of utmost importance.  They will stand on guard at every window and open door in the house to alert you that there is a leaf blowing across the front yard.

7) finally accepting that every article of clothing will mysteriously have dog hair embedded into the fabric.  Honestly, you wouldn’t have it any other way.  You secretly smile every time you look down and see one of those blonde pieces on your dress pants.

8) your alarm clock now consists of getting licked in the face, stepped on and the occasional bark.  This is all done out of love.  You see, your precious would hate for you to be late to work or even worse, late to taking her outside to chase the squirrels.

9) how to save money for extravagant purchases like rabies shots, flea and tick preventive, and ‘spa’ days.

10) how a good lick, a wag of their tail and running in circles can turn any bad day into an acceptable one because you have the love of your dog.  She doesn’t care how bad your day was because hers was excruciating without you home.  She didn’t know for sure that you would return like your promised as you left that morning and she sat all day waiting for your car to pull up.  You are the best part of her day and she is so thankful that you’re home.

Everyday I’m learning something new from owning a dog.  Actually, in all truth – I don’t own a dog.  We are partners in this life, through the good and the bad.  I was blessed the day she entered my life and am grateful for the time we have together.  If anything, she owns me and has me wrapped around her little paw.