Rhiannon Rings Like a Bell Through the Night...

...and wouldn't you love to love her?

Yesterday was my cousin Rhiannon's birthday!

Escorting me down the bunny slope....at age 32...

You've heard me talk about her a lot over the years.

Here are a couple things I love about her but, you know what I love most about her?

Her Name.  She IS her name.  What a great name.  Did you know Rhiannon is the Welsh Horse Goddess?  Her name means White Witch or Great Queen.

“The story of the Celtic goddess Rhiannon reminds us of the healing power of humor, tears, and forgiveness. The goddess Rhiannon is a goddess of movement and change who remains steadfast, comforting us in times of crisis and of loss.”

— goddessgift.com

This just couldn't be more true.  Rhiannon is constantly a source of calm.  If I'm really having trouble thinking something through, she's the one I call.  

One of our friends has Rhiannon as her emergency contact on her phone - not her husband - Rhiannon.  Because, Rhiannon will always answer and can solve any problem.

“Rhiannon gallops into your life to tell you how to work with doubt. To doubt someone or something when your instincts are giving you warning signals is healthy. To spend time doubting yourself is self-negating and not very helpful. The best way of working with self-doubt is to turn it into self-questioning. Self- doubt leads you nowhere. Self-questioning gives you answers. Do you get stuck in doubt and let it turn your optimism into despair, your confidence into low self-esteem, your vitality into sluggishness and procrastination? Does doubt align itself with your fears to keep you from succeeding? Do the doubts of others shipwreck your dreamboat? Perhaps where the outside world is concerned you need to exercise a bit more skepticism, rather than trusting blindly. The Goddess tells you not to let doubt erode your sacred self. Allow yourself to question rather than doubt so that you can gain the answers you need to continue on your path to wholeness.”

— spheresoflight.com

This just couldn't be more true.  Whenever I bring a problem to Rhiannon she always and, I do mean always, reminds me of something I said previously.  She is the absolute best at helping you answer your own questions by reminding you of what you hold important.  She is an absolute doubt smasher.

Also, it's important to note here, that Rhiannon didn't get her name because her mom was a beatnik who loved Fleetwood Mac.  Nope.  Her mom gave her and her sister strong Welsh names that fit them perfectly.

Stevie Nicks wrote her song Rhiannon because she loved her too.

“I didn’t write Rhiannon for commerciality. I wrote Rhiannon because I loved her name and I loved her story. I didn’t write her to be sold, she simply is not for sale and has never been.”

— Stevie Nicks, BBC One to One, 1989

On that note, I'll leave you with the song that always makes me miss her!

A blazing 1976 performance of "Rhiannon" on the Midnight Special hosted by legendary LA DJ Wolfman Jack. As Fleetwood Mac returns to touring in 2013 only Christine McVie apparently will be missing. Wish she'd make it as well.

Happy Birthday Rhi Rhi!  This year is going to be a good one!

Soulful Sunday :: Hope and Light

Last year at this time I wrote this post.  It was during one of the darkest professional times of my career (I mean seriously, those Cadbury Eggs were a high point).  I was incredibly unhappy.

I ran across a quote about Easter that I really think transcends race and religion.

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.”

— Janine di Giovanni

I really agree.  As spring rolls around, as our days get longer, as flowers start to bloom, as kids hunt for eggs, as people worship and honor sacrifice it fills us all with a little hope.  A little excitement about what's around the corner.

I've been feeling so much lighter lately.  I've been looking forward to my days, my adventures and my days at sea.

As you enjoy this Easter Sunday I'll leave you with this quote.

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine.”

— Dwight L. Moody

Let your light shine friends!  There are things to be hopeful about!  Happy Easter!

I painted my kitchen pink!

A couple days ago I posted photos of my kitchen. It is hands down the room in the  house that bugs me the most. It was just bland. Everything was the same color.  

Overall my theme downstairs is 'hipster beach cottage'. It kind of developed organically. I didn't set out for beach cottage. Or hipster. But, since my kitchen was driving me nuts I decide to channel the hipster beach cottage and did a poor mans remodel! 

Just to refresh your memory. Here's the before: 

Also, to be fair, it's a messy before

Here's the after! 

Here's what I did: 

Painted it pink

Took down the exit guisher

Added a little print above the sink (I'll probably switch it out with something I love) 

Added a mat to break up the floor color matching the cabinets

Added some hipster #ohjoyfortarget vases 

Added some very 'college dorm-y' bulb lights that I LOVE

I also hung some paper lanterns that were left over from a party. They're admittedly too large - I'll probably switch them out.  

Lastly, I put a little table between two chairs I had on hand to make a little seating area. These chairs have been around since I was a kid. They need a painting but in the meantime I love that they're at my house. They also kind of highlight my bottle collection (I've dug up all these bottles in my backyard!).  

All in all, I'm very, very pleased. It says 'Megan the Nautiemermate' for sure.  

The photos above were taken at night time when the kitchen had lights hung and was all glowy.  

This is what it looked like pre-lights looking towards the living room. (Also, I'm in love with my bar cart...) 

Looking from the living room - with no other lights on in the house.  

There you have it. Casa de Mermate!

I'm about to talk politics. Turn away if you can't handle it.

I'm voting for Hillary Clinton because she's a woman.  Boom.  I said it.

She has a point.

A variation of this NY Times article was published in our local paper.  It really made me stop and think about the generational gap in feminism.

When I first got out of school and started working in a male dominated industry I absolutely would have told you that I was treated the same as men and that there was no downside to being a woman on a ship.

People would always ask me, 'is it hard being the only female aboard?'  I'd almost always say no.  

You know what happens when you get older?  You realize things you didn't realize when you were younger.  I mean, duh, right?

Sometimes, I look back at things that were said to me or done to me and I think, 'holy crap! how did I let that stand?!'.  I didn't know any better.  Of course it was hard sometimes to be the only female onboard!

These women who feel so secure in their womanhood, who think that it's best to vote for someone on merit and not because of their gender, they're younger than they know.  Have they had to pay for child care because our maternity leave policies are wiggidy whack?  Have they been taught to negotiate a salary?  Are they fully aware of what their male counterparts are earning?  DO THEY CARE ABOUT HOW UNDER REPRESENTED THEY ARE?!  

Let's be honest, when the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau made his cabinet fifty percent women and answered criticism with the line, 'because it's 2015', he had the right of it.     

Sure, mass assumptions are terrible, I am positive that some women are voting for Bernie Sanders because they believe in his policies.  Good for them.  He's still just another old white dude.  

Is Hillary a saint?  Nope.  She's a politician.  Wanna know why she has more scandals than other candidates?  Because she's been playing the game a lot longer.  Ahem.  That's also called paying her dues.

I'm with Madeleine Albright.  I can tell the story about how I climbed the ladder.... and guess what?  It's not done.

I'm voting for Hillary because she's a WOMAN and she's EARNED this and WORKS HARD and because IT'S NOT DONE.

BECAUSE IT'S 2016!!!!!

A Kitchen Snap Shot

Here's what I've never mastered:  eating healthy at sea.

The way I make up for it is by eating really healthy when I'm home.

This used to work just fine but, these days I can't shed pounds when I hit land....and they've been stacking up.  

I've been working really hard on developing some habits that I can take to sea with me and, I'm also trying really hard to shed some pounds.

Yesterday, I mentioned my kitchen and some of you said....well, where is it?!

When I moved downstairs the thing I really didn't want to give up was my kitchen.  I love the kitchen I designed upstairs.  The downstairs kitchen is very utilitarian - no bells, no whistles, no fuss, no muss - and definitely no 'working triangle'.  It kind of bums me out sometimes but, when I start pulling out lots of colorful foods it gets a lot sunnier. 

  I've been doing a lot of juicing.  Also, there's my little coffee station!

My parents got this Champion Juicer as a wedding gift....which makes it 40 years old....it's crazy that they got divorced when I was 3 and sometimes I'm happy they got married just for this juicer (*wink*).  This thing is a beast.  I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.  

Here it is!  The crazy messy kitchen!  I have a couple plans for this kitchen.  I'd like to add some art.  I'd like to get a nice kitchen floor mat.  Maybe relocate the fire extinguisher.  

Anyways, after spending what felt like all day in the kitchen I had prepped my whole fridge.  I had roasted beets, chopped zucchini, squash, cauliflower and broccoli for roasting later in the week, hard boiled eggs, made some overnight oats, made a pot of quinoa, prepped veggies for snacking, juiced my carrots and celery and had seared some fish for salads.  (I know this seems like LOTS of food for one person but, I have company arriving tomorrow for a week!)  Here's a snapshot of my fridge - becuase you were curious, right?

Since we're talking about kitchens, food and culinary pursuits here are a couple things.

I made this vegan mac & cheese from A Beautiful Mess.  It was good.  Like yum-o good.

I've also been making a cocktail I love (wait what.  you're thinking, 'is she trying to lose weight and drinking?'.  just move on.).  It's cucumber vodka (but I think you could use regular vodka and muddle a cucumber) with ginger beer and lime.  A Moscow Mule with a twist.  Sometimes I also add a splash of coconut water.  mmmm.....

There you have it!

I'd LOOOOVVVVEEEEE to see what's in your fridges!

(also, thanks for the comments yesterday - they warmed me up)

xoxox, 

megan

Can we just talk about blogs for a second?

Let's just talk about blogs for a second.  I mean, really think about the overall concept.  Sometimes when I think about what's really going on here I find it very, very strange.  Sometimes I have incredibly cynical feelings about myself and the blog.   It almost feels like I've detached from myself (and from the blog) and am look at myself from a different angle - or maybe even from above - and I'll think, 'why am I doing this?!'.

I'm sitting here, and I haven't written in a month.  I have guilt.  Like genuine, bonafide guilt.  When I try to analyze the why I can't put my finger on it.  I've let my readers down?  Maybe.  Could be valid.  But, let's be honest and admit I know almost every single one of you.

I got a text message last night from a friend pointing out that I hadn't been writing.  I wasn't lying when I said it's been stressing me out!

Here's the thing.  There's all this stuff that I want to talk about.  There are all the moments of every day life that I think about sharing.  There's the real talk.  The best parts of life that are hard and great at the same time -the family - the friends - the time - the money - the job.  Then I start to think, 'why the heck are you posting this on the internet?!'. 

I often wonder if my blog is innately narcissistic.  I have this place on the internet where I write about myself - then I hope people read about it.  What I keep coming back to is that it's only narcissistic when I'm not 'keeping it real'.  When I'm only sharing the good.  When I'm styling photos.  When I'm glossing over the not so amazing details.  

You know what's hard about 'keeping it real'?  It makes you vulnerable.  Truth.

I invariably find myself going back to the big question of, 'why the heck are you posting this on the internet?!'.  I mean, sure, vulnerability is part of our human experience but, does it have to happen online?  Because, lets be clear: once it's posted, it's there forever.  There are no 'take backs' online.       

I think the reason I struggle with this is because I'm naturally an oversharer.  For example, I'll tell you that I tripped down the stairs and showed my panties to the world.  I could hold it in but, I rarely do.  The thing is, if I had held it in then it would mean only 10 people know my panties were exposed - not 100.  

Where's the line?  When do you make yourself vulnerable and when do you hold it in?  When I wrote a post on writing and feelings I shared a quote by Brené Brown, 'I don't share anything until my healing and growth is no longer dependent on the reaction to it'.  I started to share some essays I had written during a rough time.  But then I started to second guess myself.  Am I over it?  Am I no longer dependent on the reaction?  Have I grown?  

Yesterday, I was prepping vegetables in the kitchen and a song I loved came on.  I started to spontaneously dance.  Like drop what I'm doing and break it down in the kitchen.  I whipped out my phone and I took a photo of my counter.  It was a disaster and it totally cracked me up.  I thought, 'maybe I'll post this on the blog'.  

Narcissism?  Oversharing?  Vulnerability?  Maybe a little of all three?  But also, my love of this little space I've created on the internet.  My love of my Nautie Friends.  My love of writing.  My love of photography.  My love of a tiny dose of creativity.  It's my moment of zen.  

All this to say, I know this place is gathering cob webs.  It won't be forever.  In fact, I think I'll start dusting them off.