#ArtfulEpcot: Festival Favorites

Last weekend I got to go to Epcot's International Festival of the Arts for the first time EVER! During festival season, Epcot becomes my most visited park. I have to say, this festival is competing for the spot in my heart that belongs to Food & Wine Festival. I love food, but I also love art... plus the concert series for this one stars Broadway performers so it's a real toss up.

I actually visited the festival twice this past weekend. The weather was SO nice; but it was also opening weekend + MLK weekend, aka I'm pretty sure the entire state of Florida was there as well. 

The Lights Are So Bright - NYC 2018

Alright, friends, it's the post you've all been waiting for... NEW YORK CITY.

Prepare yourself for the longest blog post ever because I'm not splitting it up and everything's getting dumped here - from Times Square to engagements to Central Park to Broadway. As I mentioned in my previous post, we drove into the city from Kelly's place in NJ on Wednesday morning, stayed the night in her brother's apartment in Hoboken, and spent another day in the city on Thursday. We did practically everything, and I have never walked so much in my LIFE.

Jersey Shore

Hey friends!

Last week I got to check another destination off the travel bucket list... New Jersey and New York City! My friends Kelly and Reb live up in Jersey and about an hour from NYC, and so I had to take a post-graduation trip to visit. PLUS, we were planning our friend Sarah's secret engagement in NYC, which I'll share about in my next post! 

Monday and Tuesday were spent in NJ, where Kelly showed me around her school and the beach. The weather was so beautiful all week, and I was actually cold the first couple of days because I'm a southern wimp. I loved the beaches, because I had never been to the beach when it was "cold;" and it was a nice change from going to the beach and feeling like I'll burn alive because of the heat. 

Spring Seniors, Vol. 5: Alaina G.

Hey friends!

Comin' at ya again with the senior pictures of my new friend Alaina! I had so much fun taking this girl's pictures... the weather was lovely as usual, and it was my first time getting photos with Mike, our live on-campus mascot! Alaina and her mom were super sweet and made our shoot relaxed and fun. 

It's so sweet getting to take photos for people in the same stage of life as I am... I get to capture the excitement of those on the verge of the rest of their lives! 

Congratulations, Alaina! See ya @ the PMAC!

Spring Seniors, Vol. 4: Brooke B.

Wow, friends, I'm so excited to share this session with you because it's of one of my closest and oldest friends, Brooke!

Brooke and I have been besties literally our entire lives... our dads work together; so we lived in Austin together, moved to Lake Charles together, and now both go to LSU. I can't imagine my life without Brooke because she has always been a part of it. 

Brooke is kind and passionate and has the biggest heart. She feels things with her whole being and will never hesitate to pray or offer words of encouragement in a less-than situation. God has used her in my life in so many ways, and it will be weird to graduate and be separated indefinitely for the first time in our lives. It is bittersweet, but I have peace in my heart because I know that a friendship that has been built over literally 22 years will not easily crumble. Our friendship is rare and special, but I know that it is weathered and strong. 

Brooke is going to Southeast Asia this summer to serve Jesus and love on the people there! If you would like to support her trip, please let me know! I'm so excited for all that God has planned for this girl.

Spring Seniors, Vol. 3: Ashley S.

It's always a pleasure and huge honor to take my friends' pictures. Last weekend, I got to work with my friend and former roommate Ashley. 

Ashley and I lived together my sophomore year in an on-campus apartment, right before I moved to Disney. It was the first time we were out of the dorms and taking over our own space. I'll always remember and treasure that sweet season of sophomore year when you feel the confidence of not being a freshman anymore and learning how to grow into more of yourself.

Ashley was a total model for this shoot and never hesitated when I asked her to experiment with awkward poses and fake laughter that turns into the real thing. She's staying a little longer at our favorite university for grad school, and I can't wait to see what's next for her! Congrats girly!

Eleven Minutes In Nashville

Hey friends! 

I promised you a Nashville post, and here it is (warning, it's v long)! This was actually my second time visiting (see my first visit here); but this time I went with my current roommates for spring break, and we got to stay a little longer.

I love traveling with my roommates because we're always on the same page on what to do... we love to eat. We love to shop. And we love to take pictures. Honestly, this is how we afford to take trips so often... we just spend money on food and don't do any of the tourist-y things that cost money hehe. 

Trips like these make me realize how blessed I am to have the friendships that I do. These girls make me laugh til my stomach cramps and roast me like no one else can; but at the end of the day, they are always there to speak life and support revolving around our shared love of God. There is no one more generous, more empathetic, more loyal and protective than my friends, and I am really thankful for them. 

Spring Seniors, Vol. 2: Lindsey

Hello my friends! 

I'm back with another senior session of my new friend Lindsey! It was raining and overcast the day of, but thankfully it cleared up enough to get some pretty shots. 

Shout out to everyone who has liked, shared, and supported my posts! Social media has become an essential business tool, and every "share" counts! Because this is just a super minuscule side job for me, I rely solely on my own obnoxious self-promotion and the recommendations of others. So THANK YOU! Thank you for being a supporter of me, my work, and creative arts as a whole. 

This weekend I'll be traveling to Nashville with my roomies for spring break, and I'm looking forward to some time away with my favorite girls. I'm sure we'll take some quality pics, so be on the lookout for a travel post soon! 

Spring Seniors, Vol. 1: Abigail

Hey friends!

We are halfway through spring semester already, which means graduation is literally right around the corner!!! I can't believe I only have a couple of months left at this beautiful school.

In the mean time, I'm busy busy taking senior pictures, and I am loving it. Campus is at its prime in the spring with the stately oaks and broad magnolias just begging to be in front of a lens. Since I don't have many opportunities to sit down and write a normal blog post, I thought I'd keep ya'll updated with a few of the gorgeous seniors I get to take pictures for! 

Here are some of my favorites of the lovely Abigail Wright, whom I met through mutual friends. She was so fun to work with and even brought champagne for us to get some fun shots in front of the stadium. Congrats girly! 

**Shameless plug, I still have a few spots open during spring break/April for anyone looking for a last minute, amateur photographer! Just hit the Contact tab to get more info!

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. 

Keeping Austin Weird

Hey friends! 

The life adventures of Meag continue with a weekend trip to Austin, Texas! 

Me and four friends/roommates jumped in the car and roadtripped to Austin on Friday to see one of our favorite bands, Johnnyswim; then explore the city on Saturday.

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!

Twist & Shout: Chicago

Hey friends! 

Today I'm sharing some photos from a short day trip to Chicago! And by "some" photos, I mean A LOT. 

This past weekend was my dear friend Maggie's wedding in Appleton, Wisconsin. My friends Kennedy and Charles live in Michigan, so I flew in to Detroit, and we road tripped from there. On the way back to Kennedy's house, we had an extra day until mine and Olivia's flight back, so we stopped in Chicago for a few hours to see some of the sights! Lately I've been feeling a bit of the travel bug, so I jumped at the chance to see a city I've always wanted to visit. 

Olivia, Kennedy, Maggie, and I all roomed together on my first Disney College Program in the spring of 2016.

Our first stop was Navy Pier, right on Lake Michigan. 

Chick-fil-A + Disney

Hey friends.

This will probably be my favorite photoshoot of all time, simply because it features all my favorite things in one shoot.

Friends. Chick-fil-A. Disney.

It all started with my roommate Kelly and I's extreme obsession with Chick-fil-A.

'Ohana

'Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. 

If you don't know where that quote is from, we can't be friends. Just kidding. It's Lilo & Stitch for those of you who don't have your lives together.

One of my favorite restaurants at Disney is 'Ohana's, which is located at the Polynesian Resort. For breakfast, it's a family style character meal. Characters include Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch! Cast members receive their discount here as well. 

It's rare for all six roommates to be in the same place at the same time, so I'm glad we were all able to make plans together. Here's some photos from around the resort and our breakfast!

Breakfast + Old Key West

This post is about that time I thought Disney's Old Key West Resort was wild west themed, instead of tropical beach themed. I guess I subconsciously deleted "Key" from the title?? That being said, I was in for a surprise when my roommates' and I showed up for our breakfast reservation at Olivia's Cafe. Olivia's is an American style cafe located at the resort (also, cast members get their discount here!).

Here's some photos of my roommates and I around the resort, featuring beautiful pastel walls and staircases. Reb and Kelly are my Jersey-wannabe-Southern girls, so we bond over Chacos, Kendra Scott, and the SEC (slowly incorporating "geaux tigz" into their vocabulary!!!).

Ireland, Pt. 3: The Mountains + Team

Here is Part 3 of the trip, featuring our "tourist-y" day in the mountains plus a few team photos of my faves. Thanks for reading!

THE MOUNTAINS

Ireland, Pt. 2: The Streets + Campus

At first I was going to do day by day summaries, but I realized I couldn't remember what pictures I took on what days and that it would be slightly confusing to read... so I just split it up into four different categories that covered the trip. This post features the architectural beauty of Ireland through the streets, buildings, and college campuses.

Literally, there's so many pictures, so just prepare yourself. You are truly a faithful follower if you make it to the end of this post.

THE STREETS

Ireland, Pt. 1: The Mission

Over spring break, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip with Chi Alpha to Dublin, Ireland!

I took so many pictures, and we did so much every day that I'll have to split up our adventure into several posts. So grab a cup of coffee for a few minutes and get ready for gorgeous scenery and and some words on what God is doing in Ireland.