We Are Called To Dream

I am that friend that is obsessed with Disney.

Everyone knows it, and I'm not ashamed to say it. As soon as someone even remotely refers to Disney, my senses are on high alert and every head in the room spins to look at me.

Some people love Disney for the characters and the timeless stories of magic and fairytale. Most people would say Disney played an integral part of their childhood memories. Others love this company because of the excellence with which they operate. If you love theme parks and creativity and history and business and world domination, it would be hard not to be a fan of Disney in some way, shape, or form.

I love this company for all these reasons and more, but the thing that I admire the most is their commitment to dreaming.

I love that the tagline for Disney's Parks and Resorts is "Where dreams come true." They have created an atmosphere of magic and fantasy, transforming kids into real life princes and princesses, pirates, and storybook characters. A little girl's biggest dream could be to meet Cinderella; and here there's a place to meet her, see her castle, and even transform into Cinderella herself.

And if Disney can make a kid believe that even their wildest, most fantastic dreams of whimsy can come true, how much easier is it to convince them that their smaller, yet still big real-life dreams can too?

Monday Motivation: For When You Don't Feel Like Wonder Woman

Hey friends.

Something you might not know about me:

I am easily intimidated.

I have dealt with high social anxiety in the past, though it is quieter now. I make a lot of assumptions and can easily be trapped in the lies of comparison. It doesn't take a lot to make me feel small inside.

Recently I felt my levels of anxiety begin to rise, and I realized I was feeling intimidated by my week. It was Sunday night, and as I was looking across the horizon of all that I had to do, I already felt nervous and defeated before even really starting.

I was looking at the mountain of literal things to do like homework assignments and classes. I was looking at the work and effort it would take to get those things done. I was looking at the people in my life that I love the most, and the time and emotion it takes to invest in them. I was looking at my future in all of its uncertainty, knowing the resumes and applications and interviews it would take to get where I want to be.

I was looking at all this mess; and while I told myself "I can't do this," I just immediately felt in my spirit the Lord say, "You will not and cannot be intimidated by tomorrow."

New Year, New City - Nashville

Ya'll.

I have had the craziest winter break of them all. From LC, to Oklahoma, to Dallas, to Memphis, to Nashville, to BR, to Nola... I am freaking tired, but with a full and happy heart. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably kept up with all my adventures; but I took some pretty pictures in Nashville and thought I'd share some of the details. 

After spending New Year's Eve in Dallas with Chi Alpha, I drove straight to Memphis to pick up my DCP roommate Kelly; and the next day we drove to Nashville to meet up with DCP roommate Sarah. It was a pretty central location for all of us, and Sarah and I had never visited Nashville before; so we were pretty excited to stay a couple of days. 

Goodbye 2017

You didn't think I'd skip out on an end-of-year blog post, did you?

I don’t know about anyone else, but this was one of those years that flew by; and yet I can still remember every messy and beautiful moment.

I remember where I was (literally and figuratively) a year ago, writing a post (linked here) in my favorite coffee shop in the world in Tulsa, Oklahoma, greeting 2017 with hope and anticipation. I had little dreams of writing more and big dreams of becoming a better version of myself. A year ago there was a lot of grief over who I had become, but out of that place came a deeper thankfulness and understanding of the Lord’s grace and mercy.

This past year held so many adventures for me.

Pumpkin Patch Dreams

Hey friends!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA from the blog lately. Life has been moving pretty quickly for me.

Some updates:

I'm a senior this year graduating in May, hallelujah! My degree will be Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources. What am I doing post-graduation???? Don't ask me, because I don't know! It's fine, everything's fine.

As you have probably seen on my social media, I've been traveling quite a bit as well. So far I've gotten to visit Disney (again lol), Wisconsin, and Chicago; and it's only October! I'll be making my way to Austin, TX in a couple of weeks for a concert, with more exciting trips planned throughout the year.

I'm still involved in Chi Alpha Campus Ministries serving as a freshman girls' lifegroup leader. I couldn't be more thankful for the community the Lord has given me while in college. There is nothing like it; I've never met people with a more authentic love for God and for people than here. It is an honor to spend my time in college investing back into a ministry that has invested so much in me.

Last weekend, all of the freshman girls' lifegroups went to a local pumpkin patch together, and then back to my house to paint pumpkins/hang out together. It was so much fun spending time and getting to know the girls all in one place, and I can't wait to see how they grow with Jesus and with each other throughout the year.

I've been getting a lot of joy out of using cam cam lately, so check out these photos of the girls' sweet beautiful faces living it up in the pumpkin patch!

Two Years

Hey friends!

This month is a very special month for the blog because it has been two whole years since my first post (linked here)!

I first started writing as an outlet to share the life and times of Meaghan Mercy, but also to share what the Lord had been teaching me in hopes that He would use my experiences to speak to others. In the past two years, my blog has gone through some changes in content, some absence and inconsistency, and even a change in name (RIP Meaghan Unscripted). 

But as mentioned in previous posts, my vision for this blog found in the About Me tab still stands. That this space would always make room for authenticity, and that authenticity could always be found at the heart of every post.

I've learned a few things along the way... about myself, about the Lord, and about partnering in writing with Him.

Goodbye Summer

Hi friends!

For the first time in 2017, I've missed posting for a while on my dear lil blog. I had been doing pretty well on consistent posts though, right? The month of July has just flown by!

I won't use the excuse of busy-ness, but I really have been running this past month. When I'm not working, I'm spending every waking moment with my roommates taking pics and doing other fun stuff in Florida. And if I'm not doing one of those two things, I'm sleeping/conserving energy for our next adventure. All the while, little blog thoughts are floating in and out; but when I sit down to write, the stillness catches up with me, and I just feel instantly tired.

But just some things I wanted to share with you before the summer ends...

Writing With Vision

Summer 2016 at Rosemary Beach

Hey friends.

Lately I've been brainstorming ways to spice up my blog life. This led me to think about... what even is this blog? What's my vision here?

They tell you to pick a certain niche for your blog; whether it be food, fashion, DIY, travel, etc. I look back at my first few posts over a year and a half ago, and I would say I started out as a lifestyle blog. Then my posts began to dive deeper and deeper into my personal life, and now I feel like the blog is an angsty college-girl's version of tumblr.

See, I love fashion. I love adventures. I love photography. I love life. I love Jesus. How do I incorporate all of those things into a blog that's worth reading?

Let's Get Down To Business

Well it's been two and a half years, and I can finally say that I like my major. I may even venture to say I love it.

For those unaware, I am a business major concentrating in entrepreneurship; and I notoriously hate school. I hate spending hours in class and taking notes.

And I hate studying. 

When people would ask me about my major and if I liked it, until now my honest answer would have been that I was not all that fond of it. My classes were boring. They weren't extraordinarily difficult, but it wasn't like I was a brilliant shining star of business either. Accounting and economics are kind of hard to get passionate about. 

I began to envy my friends who were genuinely in love with their major. I could see it in the way they talked about their classes and professors with such excitement. They actually enjoyed going to class... a foreign concept to me???

They were passionate about what they were doing. Art majors were passionate about creating. Journalism majors were passionate about writing and news. Science majors were passionate about living things and green stuff. Engineering majors, though difficult in course work, were passionate bout math and loved all the things I will never fully appreciate. 

So why didn't I just switch majors?

The Social Media Experiment

Hi friends.

I've decided to do a social media fast/experiment of at least one week (maybe longer, we'll see!). I'll be deleting all social media apps from my phone, which include Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

I've done certain social media fasts before, but I got the idea to keep an updated journal of the experience from my friend, Kayla's, post here. I've deleted my apps before, usually so I can have fewer distractions when studying for a big test; but I'm sectioning off a week specifically for a couple of reasons.

I have a deep appreciation for social media. I think it's great. I love being connected to people I might not have a chance to connect with very often in real life. I love having an easy way to see at least a piece of my friends' lives. So often I am inspired by what I see on social media.

But I'd like to see how much more time I have in my day and how much more productive I can be with that time. You don't realize how much of your day is spent playing on your phone until you count how many times you pick it up, only to realize you can't do anything but use it to call and text people (wow, a phone used as a phone ???).

I also believe fasting from social media will give me more opportunity to hear the Lord speak. Sometimes I think we beg for God to speak to us, yet we fill our lives with voices from everyone but Him. Of course God still reveals Himself in the noisiness of busy lives... but how much more could we receive in giving Him the quiet?

I'll still be logging on to Facebook via desktop, mainly because that doesn't really suck up my time as much as the apps do. I'll also have Facebook Messenger in case anyone needs to reach me that way. This post will be updated daily, just to keep all of my updates together and organized. Thanks for following along!

Hi, 2017

Hi, 2017.

I'm excited to meet you, as so many are.

I'm aware that we are already a whole 48 hours in to the new year, so that makes me a little late on posting my New Year's thoughts; but I hope my non-conformity/writing slack won't discredit me.

I'd like to say I don't fall prey to the idea that everything up until January 1, 2017 doesn't matter anymore and the whole "new year, new me" quips; but I do. I do fall prey. I don't think I can help it! There's a full 365 days ahead of me that I can do whatever I want with, and I never truly appreciated that until now. We tend to remember events in our lives by the year, and it's exciting to think that 2017 remains unblemished. There's something so thrilling about "new-ness." Something officially clean of whatever has happened in the past, and the fact that we can claim this year as our own.

But as beautiful as you are my new friend, 2016 was kind to me; and you have big shoes to fill.

A year ago, I was entering 2016 with anticipation and anxiety; for I would be spending exactly half of the year in a place of complete unfamiliarity. But what an adventurous half it turned out to be.

2016 gave me people. It gave me people from Australia and New Zealand and South Korea and all over the U.S. I love those people. I wish I could take every person's hands into my own and communicate how much their friendship is treasured... but I can't because that's literally so many people, and also that's weird.

I'll always look back on this year with a smile, but I won't say it didn't come without heartbreak.

The winter break has given me a lot of time to think, and my conclusion is that somewhere along the way, I lost myself.

The Roommate Diaries - Christmas Portraits

Happy finals week to us all!

On Saturday, the roomiez and I decided to take a break from studying to spend some time together and get some good pictures of all of us. We had so much fun hunting down artsy walls and good lighting in downtown Baton Rouge! I hadn't gotten to use my camera in a while, and I realized how much I missed it.

Merry Christmas from ECA 911! Please enjoy these pics of my model roommates.

The War Between Remembering And Forgetting

To the one who can't move on...

I understand you now.

I never have before, and I'm guilty of judging you I'll admit. But I understand your feelings now.

I understand how you are plagued with a vast montage of memories that never seem to quit playing over and over in your head. They dance in and out of your thoughts in the silence of your solitude. Repeatedly they follow an endless track that jerks your emotions high and low like a rollercoaster.

It's hard because those memories hold so much joy, and it feels like your life currently has gone...well, downhill. And of course to climb uphill again means to make new and better memories, but yet you cling to the old ones in fear of forgetting.

How could you forget, you ask? I mean you just said those memories were so full of joy, so how could one forget about them?

Good question.

I guess you don't forget... you just have to push them aside. You feel like your brain can still hold the big stuff - the really fun, exhilarating, happiest moments are locked away in the long-term. But suddenly the details get brushed into the cracks and crevices of the brain to create space for the new thoughts and memories moving in. A fine layer of dust collects over the details that were once showcased at the front of your mind. They don't fade from existence; you just forget they're there. You can't juggle it all - new things, old things - and you feel helpless as the details slip away into oblivion.

Thus begins a war in the mind between remembering and forgetting.

Upside-Down Smiley Face

Happy Monday. Insert my favorite, most-used emoji: the upside-down smiley face.

It's me, your favorite inconsistent "blogger" aka someone who posts only when she feels like it or is compelled by the Lord, etc. 

I've been up to a lot of things recently since my latest post, and I thought I'd share some of the highlights in the life and times of Meaghan Mercy. 

Stuck In-Between

I've never understood the feeling of being stuck in an in-between stage of life more than I do right now.

I've been home for about two weeks now from Orlando, Florida where I spent the last six months of my life. In those two weeks, I've traveled to and from Oklahoma to visit family, back to Florida for a beach trip, and now I'm settled in Lake Charles for four short days until heading to a Leadership Retreat for school.

The busy-ness has been a blessing though... it keeps me from even more heartache than I already feel. My heart aches to be back in Orlando.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see my family and friends and drive the familiar route from my home to the local Chick-fil-A. But I never imagined the strangeness I would feel from transitioning from the life in Florida to my life in Louisiana. It really does feel like I had a different life the past six months; see, my school and home life intertwine, but in Orlando I started from scratch. Same classic Meg of course, just in a place where I knew next to no one. 

I can't even adequately explain how much my time there has impacted my life. 

I experienced incredible joy, and also incredible loneliness. 

My faith was stretched; I learned to cling to the Lord as my only constant and received undeserved blessings in return. 

So many friendships were formed from around the world, and my heart literally aches to think of all the sweet friends who have enriched my life. I fell in love with the people there, and felt loved in return.

I worked for one of the greatest companies in the world; a company I admire so much for putting absolute excellence into everything they do. The Walt Disney Company inspires people of all ages to believe in the beauty of their dreams, and that's one of my favorite things about them. There is no end to their creativity.

It's so funny... halfway through the summer I was so ready to be back home. But as my time in Florida came to an end, I realized I wasn't ready to leave.

More Compassion, Less Of Everything Else

My heart breaks for the city of Orlando - a place I've come to know as my third home.

Three tragedies have occurred in less than a week; the shooting of singer Christina Grimmie, the Pulse shooting with at least 50 lost lives, and most recently, a two year old boy dragged into the water by an alligator and is yet to be found. The loss of life here is great, and it's taken a toll on everyone.

It's been a bittersweet comfort to see the incredible responses of love and support shown by the people here and across the nation. Blood drives are receiving donations past their capacity. Candlelight vigils will be happening soon. Social media is covered in hashtags and pictures featuring #OrlandoStrong and #PrayForOrlando. Theme park characters and staff have taken photos making the heart sign with their hands to share their love and support.

The circumstances of this outpouring of unity are indeed unfortunate. But what I find most unfortunate is that with every post and prayer of support, I find an argument on gun control... a religious debate... a critical lesson on parenting.

Sure, these are important issues that should be discussed reasonably; but think about the purpose of sharing your thoughts on whatever matter it is. Is it just to share your own opinion with everyone else whose minds probably won't be changed over your Facebook status?

Is it to prove that you understand good parenting so that that situation would never happen to you or your child?

Is your opinion really so great that it needs to take the focus off of the most important thing, which is loving and supporting and praying for those whose world is now shattered?

Lately

Hello.

It's me. 

And it has been over a month since I've posted. I'd like to say I've been busy, which I have... but not busy enough so that I couldn't have written. It's hard to find motivation and inspiration. But anyways, here's an update on my oh-so-interesting life.

Christmas Day, 2015

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We spent Christmas in Oklahoma where the whole family lives. I'd have to say the ride back from OK to LA was the absolute worst car ride of my life. The weather in Texas was awful with flood and tornado warnings going off every five minutes... but yet we pressed on. Because of all the rain, the roads were flooded which resulted in many detours. All in all, we spent exactly twelve hours in the car. By that time, I was ready for a tornado to sweep me up and pray it carry me home.

Eventually we made it back, but just 48 hours later, I was packed up and headed to Dallas for Chi Alpha's South Central SALT Conference. SALT is a two day conference for all Chi Alpha's in the South Central area, totaling around 1,800 students. And wow... it was incredible. Not to ride the I-just-came-out-of-an-amazing-Jesus-conference high, but I learned so much those couple of days.

Lifegroup Affirmations 2k15

Last night was our last lifegroup meeting of the semester. On the last night, we always do Affirmations, which is just a time of lifting up, encouraging, and loving on our fellow sisters. Each lifegroup does it differently, but we this time we decided to take over a conference room with a white board in the union. We traced the silhouette of each person, and they stepped out of the room while we wrote or illustrated why we love them around the silhouette. Then they came back in blindfolded, and we took a picture of them in front of the white board surrounded by their affirmations.

It's always a really sweet time together because we get to focus on all the qualities that make each of us so beautiful. This one was especially good, just because it was the last lifegroup with these girls before I go to Disney in the Spring. I can't wait to spend my days in Disney, but I'm sure gonna miss these times with my sisters.

So here are the pictures from last night. They are filled with much love and inside jokes, quotes each of us say a lot, some of our favorite songs and people.

P. S. The lighting made us all look like serial killers, but it's okay.

For We Trust In Our God - Fall Breakaway 2015

This past weekend I went to a fall retreat called Fall Breakaway by my campus ministry Chi Alpha. We literally "break away" from everything, and escape to a camp in the middle of the woods in north Louisiana. All of the Chi Alpha's in Louisiana meet up to attend sessions by a guest speaker and Chi Alpha staff across the state. We stay in camp dormitories; there are trails to walk and a pond to swim in. And the weather this weekend was absolutely beautiful. The kind that's sunny with a high of 75.

I love this weekend away. I love being surrounded by nature and by fellow believers who love Jesus.

The week before Breakaway was rough... I had a couple of big tests and assignments due that week, so I was beyond ready to escape and rest.

I went to Breakaway last year too, and it was such a sweet time. That weekend Chi Alpha became my family, and I felt connected and loved. I knew what to expect this weekend, and I was expecting great things from God.

10 Things I Love About Fall

Happy first day of fall, ya'll!

I'm celebrating by wearing a pretty dress, devouring some Dove milk chocolate caramels, and watercolor painting to Ben Rector (yes, I'm still playing that album that came out a month ago).

I don't think I truly appreciated the fall season until recent years; it was just the pre-Christmas season. Also, I feel like the color orange represents fall, and I was never a big fan of orange. But there is so much to do, so much to enjoy!

Things I love about fall:

1. Chai lattes.

I can finally drink a warm chai latte without sweating. There is nothing better than it being chilly outside with warm tea/coffee in hand. I feel so seasonal and hipster-y.

2. Cool weather.

Okay, so that doesn't roll around for us Louisianians until November, but the past few days have been cool in the morning so I've been pretending.

3. Cooler weather = sweater weather.

Fall and spring are my favorite outfit seasons: you're not freezing and you're not sweating. Break out the sweaters, scarves, and tights! And layering! I've missed layering so much. I've already made a (few) shopping trip(s) to update my fall wardrobe, and now I want to wear everything even though it's ridiculous to wear boots in 90 degree weather. But now that it's officially fall, I need to wear fall colored things which are all warmer pieces so what is a girl to do.