Thanksgiving!!




For Thanksgiving, my dad came up from Tennessee to visit us and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the first time all by myself. And by that I mean with my mom on the phone with me 50% of the time. It turned out, surprisingly, well. I made my grandmother's stuffing, which is a two day process. I even made an appetizer! It was really fun having my dad here. It gets pretty lonely here in Charm City. Here are some pictures of the meal I made, as requested by my mom!


Other updates on our lives...

We get to come home for 4 and a half whole days which we are super grateful and excited for. So be sure to contact as if you'll be in town as well.

We discovered that there is a place near Gettysburg called "The Land of the Little Horses" and we are planning a trip there for this spring. In case you didn't know it's been my lifelong dream to own a miniature horse so I'm super excited for this.

The Buckeyes are going to the BIG ONE AGAIN!! Congratulations Mr. Tressel!

John and the boy scouts are making tin foil dinners this week.

I just got another calling to the activities committee so that's a new on for me. John and I now have 2 callings each so are pretty busy.

I also got Gilmore Girls on DVD, courtesy of my dad and have been obsessed with watching it!
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My first video

So I have no idea if this will work. I went for the realistic approach by including all of the crying. I wanted everyone to feel like they were really there ;-).
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My Trip to The Ohio





Last weekend I was able to go back to Ohio to meet my newest niece. I'm up to three now and no no nephews! It was really fun to stay with Emily and help with the baby. Delainey definitely has her own personality and a temper like her daddy. The pictures aren't all that great because I'm still trying to figure out my new camera so hopefully by Christmas I'll be ready to take some really cool ones.
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All About Us

So I stole this from Bethany. I've been on a really good streak of blogging regularly in order to attract more viewers and I'm trying to keep it up!

1. What is his name? John Michael Loop

2. How long have you been together? We started dating in July 2005

3. When and where did you first meet? When I was a freshman in high school my friend Gina made me call him and ask him 20 questions to try and find out who he liked. I had no idea who he was, but he asked me to come up to him in school the next day and introduce myself. So before homeroom Gina pointed him out and I walked up to him and said, "Hi I'm Megan. The girl who called you last night. Bye" That was it! Very romantic.

4. How long did you date? 11 months before we were married.

5. How old is he? 26

6. Who eats more? Probably me. Sometimes John only eats once a day cuz he's a weirdo.

7. Who said I love you first? Me. This is shocking I think. I don't think he said it back for 2 weeks.

8. Who is taller? If you have ever actually seen me you know the answer.

9. Who sings better? Me

10. Who is smarter? Probably me since John only started applying himself in college. So I had a head start.

11. Whose temper is worse? Mine. John doesn't really have a temper at all.

12. Who does the laundry? Me.

13. Who does the dishes? John does them more often.

14. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are looking at the bed from the end, it would be me.

15. Who pays the bills? Me. Although John is making us a budget and he wants to start doing them. I will believe it when I see it.

16. Who mows the lawn? Sadly, we have no lawn.

17. Who cooks dinner? John has started cooking dinner more since we moved, but he can only make three things.

18. Who drives when you're together? John. I think the man should drive.

19. Who is more stubborn? It's a tie.

20. Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? John. I'm not actually ever wrong.

21. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine

22. Who kissed who first? John. He was a fast mover.

23. Who asked whom out? John is an Internet stalker and bought me a present before we ever even went out.

24. Who proposed? John.

25. Who is more sensitive? Definitely John.

26. Who has more friends? Hmmm probably John. He was the homecoming king after all.

27. Who has more siblings? John

28. Who wears the pants in the family? Me! Just like my mom!
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Delaney and Edwina

Emily gave birth last night to a healthy baby girl weighing in at 7 pounds and 2 ounces. She already has loads of hair and a dimple in one cheek just like Emily! Emily and Sean named her Delaney Elizabeth Krasin and they are calling her Laney. Yesterday also happened to be my maternal grandmother's birthday! She's no longer with us but it's pretty sweet Laney was born on this day. I will definitely post some pics as soon as I go visit in 2 weeks.
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Emily's Baby Shower






So way back in September John and I traveled back to The Ohio for Emily's baby shower. It was really good to see everyone again. Emily is being induced this Wednesday at 8am! Here are some pics from the shower. I'm going back the first weekend in November and then I will have some pics of the baby!







The only downside to our trip was that I got really sick the night we got there and my throat swelled up huge. We though I just had a swollen gland. However, it kept getting bigger and bigger and I looked ridiculous like a frog so we went to the ER Monday night when we got back. They don't really believe in urgent care centers in Maryland so that's really your only option. So I went there and it took forever of course. They gave me an antibiotic and some pain medication because it was pushing on my throat. They weren't totally sure what was wrong though so they sent me to a specialist. It turns out if had a thyroglossal duct cyst! And it's a congenital defect! Who knew I was defective! Anyhow if it happens again I will have to have surgery to have the parts of my thyroid tissue removed. I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again because they will have to cut open my throat and remove part of a bone and it leaves a pretty bad scar.



P.S. You can kinda see my fat throat in these pics. Althought I tried to hide it because it pretty much just looked like I had a double chin at that point in the swelling.
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New Hair!!




So I haven't posted in a while and I have many many updates. First, I dyed my hair dark brown today. This is definitely the darkest my hair has been in my life! Then I went to sephora and used my giftcard John got me for my birthday and had my makeup done to match my new hair! It was pretty exciting!


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Which jane Austen Character are You?

I am Elizabeth Bennet!

Take the Quiz here!

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Anapolis










During David and Patty's visit we also had the chance to visit the Naval Academy and spend some time in the Inner Harbor. The weather was perfect the whole weekend!
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The Other Loops Came to Visit










So for Labor Day weekend John's dad and stepmom came out to visit us. We had a fun-packed weekend and got to see a lot of cool tourist stuff. The first night there were here we went out for crabs and ate right on the bay. Our waiter showed us how to eat crab like Marylanders. The next day we went to Fort McHenry, the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner. It was pretty fun and very educational :-).


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Trip to NY










So way back a month ago John and I traveled to Dansville, NY for my semi family reunion/ Hill Climb. Now, for those of you who don't know what a hill climb is let me enlighten you. It's a bunch of bikers on crazy tricked out motorcycles who climb this insane hill, basically at a 90 degree angle. My family holds this event at my cousin Margaret's house every year. It's a pretty interesting time. This year the Hell's Angels showed up again and we set a record for attendance. The pictures explain the rest!
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5 Things I was doing 10 years ago

1. I was 13 and going into the 7th grade
2. This was a defining moment in my life because I FINALLY got contacts and looked much less awkward
3. Riding my bike pretty much every day with my cousin, Gretchen.
4. Playing volleyball and softball
5. Making an unsuccessful attempt at building a fort with Gretchen.

5 Things on my to-do list today (Today is Sunday so let's go with tomorrow.)

1. Clean the house
2. Bake some chocolate chip cookies
3. Go shopping for a new suit to wear to my meeting in Georgetown
4. Meet with the RS presidency
5. Make sure John gets a haircut ;-)

5 Snacks I enjoy

1. Nuts
2. Grapes
3. Dove chocolate
4. chips and salsa
5. strawberries

5 Songs I know the lyrics to (I can remember the lyrics to tons of songs!!!)

1. Every Something Corporate Song ever
2. Carmen Ohio
3. Ice, Ice Baby
4. I can't write anything else because I know the words to a ridiculous amount of songs. If I hear it twice I know it forever!

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire

1. Pay off all of our student loans (so boring)
2. John would want to start his own business so probably that
3. Buy a house back in Ohio
4. Quit my job
5. Go t o somewhere tropical

5 Bad Habits

1. Leaving 3 pairs of shoes by the door at a time
2. Not putting leftovers away before they go bad
3. Speeding
4. My bad temper
5. Not calling people back because I hate talking on the phone

5 Things I'd never wear again

1. Stone wash jeans
2. overalls
3. a sports band to keep my glasses on!
4. metallic lip gloss
5. colored jeans

5 Favorite toys

1. my laptop
2. my camera
3. my car
4. my dad's four wheeler that I am going to be playing with in a week!
5. My scrapbook stuff

Now... to the power of 4's

4 Jobs I've had

1. Guest services at Target
2. Working at Apples (You ppl don't even know how good I was at this. I have a heart attack every time I go to the grocery store because no one can ring and bag as good as me! :-P)
3. Safelite- worst job ever!
4. Server for good ole Max & Erma's

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1. A Walk to Remember
2. Anything Harry Potter
3. 16 Candles
4. Pride and Prejudice

4 Places I've Lived

1. Amherst, Ohio
2. Pepper Pike, Ohio
3. Columbus, Ohio
4. Columbia, Maryland

4 TV Shows I Enjoy

1. What Not to Wear
2. The Real Estate Pros
3. Little People, Big World
4. The Office

4 Places I've Been on Vacation (I've been a lot of places, but these are my favorites)

1. Nova Scotia, Canada
2. Tempe, Arizona
3. Marco Island, Florida
4. South Padre Island, TX

4 Favorite Restaurants

1. Smith & Wollensky
2. Longhorn
3. Bravo
4. Buca di Beppo

Now I have to tag people...Angie, Chelsea, Ching, Mom, and Dad
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Much Overdue Update


Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks. I started my new job so things have been kind of crazy. I like it so far. The hours are still kinda crazy, but at least I have a set schedule. It feels really good to not have ppl asking me about flip flops in a size 10. All jobs are going to have their ups and downs, but at the end of the day I feel like I'm making a difference.

John's job is going really well for him. He has an appt next week with the man in charge of all the health centers to find out about doing the administrator in training program so he's pretty excited for that. he's been working with the philanthropy department lately trying to get ppl to donate prizes for their gala. All the proceeds go to the Benevolent Care Fund to help residents who can no long er afford to pay for their living expenses stay at the community. This week John is meeting with the former chairman for the orioles. In a few weeks he may even get to go down to DC to do some lobbying!

In two weeks we will be traveling to NY for our family reunion. We will be sure to take lots of pics. We will also be touring back to Ohio in September for Emily's baby shower and again in October for Jason's wedding. We are super excited to come back. Maryland is ok, but I feel like every time we try to adventure out we end up in the ghetto.

I need to order my dress pretty soon for the gala. I will post some pics of them below as I hate posting without some sort of pictures. Other than searching for a dress I've been reading Harry Potter nonstop. I just started on book one about 3 weeks ago and I'm already on book five. I can't wait to get to 7. I will probably re read them when I'm done because I've liked them so much. John has been reading a Mitt Romney book called "Turnaround." Well that's all we've got for now. It was a really yucky weekend here so we didn't do much but relax. Let me know what you think of the dresses!
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Coming to Maryland

We made it! After 7 hours of driving and 4 pit stops we made it to our apartment. It was a bit of a rough move as we are on the fourth floor, but we got a nice process going. There were a few casualties along the way. My dresser, quesadilla maker, and toaster oven will be sorely missed. We went to DC on Saturday so Chelsea could do a little touristing before returning to Ohio. We forgot our digital so we bought a disposable. I will post pictures as soon as I get it developed the old fashioned way. The house is completely unpacked. The only things still in boxes are winter clothes. I need to get some underbed boxes for those since we are a lot tighter on space.

Tuesday was maintenance day. We had a cable guy come in on Tuesday. However, at about 10 am I was greeted by a number of maintenance workers who took over the apartment. They fixed the master bathroom sink, the door to the patio, and the dishwasher. They pulled the entire dishwasher out of the apartment causing a huge mess. They brought it back and said it was ready to go so I started some dishes. About 20 minutes later I came in the kitchen and my feet flew out from under me and I was completely airborn for a second, only to land on my back. the dishwasher had leaked everywhere. So they guys came back and it has been fine since. Oh! I forgot to mention that John caused an apartment wide power outage on Sunday. He spend an entire summer doing commercial wiring and the man almost blew us up plugging in the dryer. I can't wait until we have a whole house to blow up! Just kidding. I couldn't pass that up!

Our town is pretty cute so far. Everyone we talk to says how it's "THE PLACE" to live in Maryland. Everything we need is really close to that has been nice. John's new job is going really well. He has his own office and a secretary this week. He's a big timer now. He's busing helping to plan a gala for charity that the community has to raise money for residents who can't afford to live there anymore. I get to buy a new dress, get my hair done, and John is renting a tux. They even take your picture like at prom! It's pretty exciting.

We miss everyone in Ohio already! We would love to have some visitors!
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The People's Republic of Maryland


So this past week John and I traveled to the People's Republic of Maryland. Well that's what John and I call it. It's actually a commonwealth, but whatever. Anyhow, I can't say that I am a huge fan...hence the nickname. However, we move feel like it is the right place for us for the next year or two. We have loved our time in Columbus and hope to move back once John finishes his Master's and his training period.


Ok so let me start from the beginning. First of all John got a new job with Erickson retirement communities at the largest retirement community in the country. He chose to be in Maryland because that's where their corporate offices are and he will be able to meet lots of people to help him move up quickly. John Erickson, the founder of the company, also started up a Master's program at UMBC to which John has applied. It's 18 months and on Friday's and Saturday's. Keep your fingers crossed for that! That's the picture above!


The second exciting this is that I got a new job as well. I am now an Assistant Director for Score Education Centers which is a subsidiary of the Washington Post. What's even better is I am a Director in Training. I should be promoted within 3-6 months based on performance. I am really excited about this new opportunity. I will get to run the business, but also spend time developing education plans and working directly with kids. PLUS if I get the promotion I will get a big raise and only have to work a four day work week. And much to my relief I know longer have to work Sundays!


We had a heck of a time finding a new apartment. First of all, the cost of living in Maryland is outrageous! It's more than double what it is here so that was a bit of a shock. We went apartment hunting Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and still hadn't found anything we could see ourselves living in. In order to be somewhere safe we could really only afford a one bedroom and we would have to get a storage unit. So Wednesday night we drove down to the temple in DC to try to collect our thoughts and calm down a little. It really helped us get our priorities realigned and we realized that the Lord wants us here for a reason and we felt confident he would help us achieve that. Also, as long as we were together and obedient we would be happy. So we went to bed, still feeling a little discouraged, with a plan for the morning. The very first place we went to was really nice and really expensive. So the leasing agent was showing us a one bedroom and John was out on the porch talking to some guy on the phone about a condo. So I proceeded to tell the man my story and how stressed and upset I had been. I think I really pulled on his heart strings because he told me he thought he may be able to help us. Apparently, back in the winter a man had come and put a deposit down on a 2 bedroom apartment and just yesterday he had called and cancelled. Now back in the winter they had some really good specials going and the apartment was $1450 at the time instead of $1800. So he said he would lease us the apartment at $1450 if he thought we could afford that even thought they weren't running the special anymore. I yelled, "We'll take it!" before I even saw it.

So the leasing agent took us upstairs and the apartment was amazing. First, he building is only 5 years old so everything is really new in it. It has vaulted ceilings, a gas fireplace, walk in closets, a soaking tub, deck, and a huge kitchen with lots of cabinets. Plus it has a spot for a full size washer and dryer so we can take ours with us. If you had seen what we had looked at you would truly understand what a miracle this was. So we put a deposit down and signed our lease and now we are moving to Maryland on June 13! Everything worked out perfect! Also, the apartment is almost exactly equidistant from both of our jobs! We are so blessed!
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New Table Setting


So until we go on vacation next week I don't have anything too exciting to post. However, I am pretty excited about the new table setting my dad got me from Pottery Barn. And, yes, I did arrange the flowers myself so don't make fun!
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Blog Revived!

So I decided to bring the blog back! Since we are about to move far away from everything and everyone we know we decided we needed to restart the blog to stay in contact with everyone. Plus I really wanna buy a new camera so maybe this will convince John I need it so I can take more pictures ;-).
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