Pinteresting Finds.

Here are some of my latest pins from my favorite guilty pleasure, Pinterest. What I love about Pinterest is that is allows you to be creative, it opens up your mind to new ideas. I've found so many d.i.y. crafts, amazing recipes and style takes on Pinterest that is now my go to site for basically all things I love. 

Sparkly Neutrals, they make any outfit look a little more elegant but also fun at the same time.  Board: Fashions I Love

I absolutely adore Hydrangeas, such a simple flower. Board: Fairytale Finds

My next apartment or home will definitely have splashes of exposed brick, which gives it a "Manhattan" vibe.
Board: Sweet Stuff and Ideas for the Home

This is a mushy d.i.y, fill a jar with 365 Love Quotes and read one a day. (Corny but I love it!) Board: Crafty Ideas

I adore this suit from Victoria's Secret, it's a must have! Board: Fashions I Love

I collect coffee mugs, it goes hand in hand with my coffee addiction, I love these! Board: Stuff I Love, Love, Love

Mozzarella Balls, which I actually made this past weekend, they were  yummy! Board: Foodie Fun

I love this look! It's simple and beautiful. Board: Beauty

You can follow me on Pinterest by either clicking the link on the top right hand side of this page or search (meggiem)! Happy Pinning.

Friday Favorites.

Welcome to Friday Favorites! This is the start of a new weekly post, where I will show you some of my current favorite things, in no particular order.

Have a great weekend! I'm sending tons of love to my nephew William Beckett who is being baptized this weekend, I'm so sad I can't be there but my heart is there always.

Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge will always be one of my favorites.  Here she is  at the British Premier of War Horse, part of her 30th Birthday Celebration looking stunning as usual.  

My goofy puppy, Wooden. Here he is trying to get up on his couch, he gave up halfway through and found this was comfortable position. This picture was taken on instagram, follow me @megmccarrick. 

Top 5 CSP - Evreux from LIMOGES CSP on Vimeo. Kyle my awesome manfriend had the #1 play for CSP against Evreux. I'm proud as always. 

I am now a member of the Wives/Girlfriends Association "Love and Basketball".  I always disliked the term WAG and feel that I'm more then just a girlfriend of a professional athlete. This association has been so helpful, answering many questions I have while living overseas, also I'm not the only one who feels homesick and that there are many other "WAG's" that are strong, independent women. 

My nephews; Jack Tucker, William Beckett and Benjamin Scout. This picture was taken over the Holidays, while I'm overseas I miss these little guys so much.

My Nike Free Sneakers, these shoes will help me through my marathon training. 

I know Christmas is over but I love Starbucks Christmas Blend and I'm currently enjoying a cup.

No day like today.

Wow, Thursday already? This week seems to be flying by, it is yet another beautiful day in Limoges. I'm enjoying a yummy cup of home brewed Starbucks coffee, I have Wooden curled up next to me and I'm watching the news from New York via Slingbox. Kyle is on the road for the next two days, his game is in Southern France tomorrow night and he left early this morning. I'm not going to lie, I hate when he's on the road but thank god for Wooden who keeps me company, so it's not to bad.I hope you have a happy Thursday, it's almost the weekend, so just power through and end the week on a strong note.

Yesterday I enjoyed a great yoga session, using one of the new travel mats Kyle got me for Christmas. For me, yoga is the perfect cross training workout for my marathon training, it relaxes me but it's also intense, so I leave the workout feeling satisfied. Doing yoga makes me so excited to teach when I'm home in New York this summer. While I was home in December I taught some private yoga classes and made me more confident that this is what I really want to do.

This morning I was looking over my posts from January 2011, particularly 2011 Please Be Kind, which talks about the year ahead and the things I wished to accomplish. I was so happy that I looked at that post because I saw what I did indeed accomplish and what I still need to tackle, the good thing was that there were more things completed then not, which made me feel good and motivated to start compiling a list of goals for 2012.

I think it's important to have goals for yourself, even if they seem a little out of reach, as long as you are moving forward in a positive direction, I say go for it, just don't put extreme amounts of pressure on yourself to achieve them, it's supposed to be a fun journey. For example, last year I had a goal to finish a half ironman, which consists of swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles and running a half marathon which is a distance of 13.1 miles, for a grand total of 70.3 miles.  I thought I'd be able to compete in such a beast of a race, but my thoughts turned out to be a little premature. I registered for a half ironman in New Hampshire in late August, and even though I was training, I didn't feel I could tackle such a race, not just yet, so I pulled out. Even though it was really crappy to drop out of the race, I tried to pull out some positives and the main one was learning that I could now swim a mile with ease, so something good came out of that goal. I've learned that you may not always succeed, but as long as you remain positive and surround yourself with people who are also positive and believe in you, anything can happen.

With that being said here are just a few of My Goals for 2012.

Paris Marathon: It's been a long time goal of mine to run a race internationally, and I have to say, there is no time like the present to do so. My boyfriend Kyle and I are living in France, so it was a no brainer when I decided to register for the Paris Marathon this April. I'm so excited for this race, my training in underway and I plan on running a good time, maybe even a Boston Qualifier (haha). My sister is coming from the States to cheer me on, which is only going to make this experience even better.

Learn conversational French: This is a biggie for me, I absolutely hate being out in public in France and not having a clue how to speak the language. I have made it a big goal of mine to dive into the language and learn it. I am hoping that by June, 2012 I'll be more fluent in the basics of this beautiful language.

Master the art of cooking: funny goal to some, but for me coming from a family of great cooks and bakers, I'm a little intimidated when it comes to the kitchen. Thank the Lord for Kyle, who always insists I'm way better then I think and that I don't give myself enough credit. So my goal for 2012, is to take all the cookbooks my brother and sister gave me and actually use them. This is a fun challenge and goes hand in hand with learning French because when I go to the market to buy ingredients for meals I have no clue what anything is besides the obvious because I can't read the labels, no one wants to confuse sugar with salt, been there done that, yes I would call myself an idiot. (In some cases!)

Make this site a hit: Last year one of my goals was to make this site better and I took the necessary steps to do so. I hired a designer to revamp Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes, now the site is more fluid and you can navigate easier. This year I want to make J.T.T.C a hit, which will be no one else's work but my own. Viewership has increased, which is awesome but I know it could be even better, so I promise better posts and adventures in 2012, because I want you coming back day in and day out.

Be a business man(woman): As I mentioned earlier in this post, I'm in love with teaching yoga, I plan on taking that love for teaching and doing something with it. Even if I don't own my own studio, I've learned that you can basically do yoga anywhere as long as you have room for your mat. This year I'm focusing on establishing a steady client base, whether it's for group yoga instruction or private, I just want to give others the gift of a great yoga class, which will leave you feeling refreshed, worked and amazing.

So there you have it, some of my goals for the upcoming year. Now go out and set your own goals, there is no better time to do so.

Enjoy the show.

Happy Wednesday Beauties! Hope you are having a great week, set a goal and tackle it, there is no better time like now. The weather in Limoges has been so mild, and I've been taking advantage of it, putting my marathon training into full gear. It's so nice to go for a walk with Wooden in January and I'm not freezing my buns off. As I've promised earlier in the month, now that I'm back in Limoges and settled for awhile my posts will be more consistent, that also includes my other site, Project Run (Click the link in the upper right hand corner of this page.), which documents my workouts, training for my upcoming marathon and some helpful tips for the exercise lovers, definitely check it out.

Early this morning Kyle and I received a pleasant surprise, the package we sent from New York on Thursday arrived. We couldn't believe how fast it got here, the post office clerk told us it would take 6-10 business days and it got here in 3-1/2! I love care packages from the US, it's so comforting, the items I am most excited about are the pounds of Starbucks coffee and my Trader Joe's baking supplies. I can't wait to get into the kitchen and whip up some tasty treats for Kyle and I.

On Monday night, Kyle and I watched the fantastic movie, Moneyball. I'm a sucker for sports flicks and this one blew me away. Brad Pitt was amazing, his performance is definitely award worthy, and the fact that this film is based on a true story makes it even better. At one point in the movie, Brad's daughter sings a song that I immediately fell in love with. Like I've said before, I love when you find a song or quote that relates to exactly what you are going through in life, this song in particular really hit me with its words.

The song is called, The Show, originally done by the fantastic artist, Lenka. the words to this song are amazing and I feel anyone can relate to them, woman or man, young or old. Sometimes our path gets confusing, questions fill our head, "what am I doing?", "where am I going?" We are all faced with choices to make and decisions that need to be made. What we have to realize is that we are not alone, everyone goes through this. I for example have mini battles with myself everyday on what I am doing with my life and where I am going. Sometimes it can be overwhelming but I take a deep breath and tell myself to be present, to enjoy the ride, bumpy or smooth, through the ups and downs. If we spend to much time worrying day in and day out, we are going to miss out on this amazing thing called life.

So go out and live, go out and love, go out and be a risk taker, take chances on yourself, on love and I'm telling you life will be pretty damn amazing. Stop being afraid to step out of your comfort zone, you deserve to be the best you can be.

Enjoy the show!

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried and I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down
I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show
-The Show, Lenka

Be great! Be you!

Happy Monday Lovers! Hope everyone had an amazing weekend. Kyle and I are back in Limoges, France with our puppy Wooden and getting back into our daily routine. It's a beautiful day here in Limoges, unlike the usual overcast weather we get here. I just enjoyed a nice walk with Wooden, now I'm sipping on some coffee, ready to tackle the day.

I have to say, having Wooden here in the apartment with me makes things so much better. Days where I might tend to be lazy are long gone, he gets me out of the house, I am so in love with this pup. I can't tell you how blown away I was when we picked him up at the breeder's house, he is now a mini horse! He's huge and has grown so much since I last saw him in early December, I actually have trouble lifting him, which proves that I have no upper body strength.

Part of me can't believe I'm back in France already, I feel like my time in New York went so fast. Transitioning back to the overseas life isn't always easy, I am trying to map out the next few months, making sure I am doing things for myself, setting some mini goals. I am competing in the Paris Marathon in April, so my training will take up a large amount of time. Kyle and I also have a bunch of visitors coming over in the upcoming months, which will make our time in France fly by. I'm not trying to rush through this year, this experience is such an opportunity and we are really lucky to get the chance to do the things we do, but I still love home and find myself missing it constantly.

Today I will leave you with a quote I came across on Pinterest (most addicting site ever),it's from an Unknown Author and I absolutely dig it. I love when I stumble upon a quote that relates to something you are experiencing in your life. Your life is yours to live, so go out and take the bull by the horns, go after what you want, be who you want to be. It can be scary, sometimes you have to take a chance, sometimes you'll succeed and other times you'll fail but that's life. Like I've said before, your life is your story and it deserves to be a best seller. Be great! Be you!

Enjoy!

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right and forget the ones that don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. 
-Unknown Author

Our big puppy man, Wooden!

Leaving on a Jet Plane.

Happy Thursday my beautiful Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes readers, sorry for the lack of posts this week! I'm enjoying my last morning in New York City for awhile, Kyle and I are heading back to France tonight. As much as I hate to leave this amazing city and my family, I have to be honest when I say, I'm anxious to get back to our puppy Wooden. We've received updates from our breeder where Wooden is residing and he is doing well, Sally the breeder informed us that Wooden wears all the other dogs out, which makes me happy to know because I can't wait until he can start coming on runs with me.

This morning was spent doing some last minute packing, saying goodbye to our parents and stopping by Starbucks for one last Caramel Macchiato, made by Kyle's and my favorite Barista. The coffee isn't bad in Limoges, I'm just a Bucks addict so it's hard to leave that behind. Even though it's freezing out, Kyle and I are going to brace the cold and go for a run, so we are nice and relaxed for our travel overseas and since my marathon training is in full gear. Then we are headed to the post office to mail a box of American goodies to Limoges. We went to Trader Joe's earlier this week and stocked up on some stuff that we can't find in France, you have no idea how comforting it is to have products from home.

I promise you that once I am back in Limoges and settled there will be more consistent posting from Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes. I hope you are enjoying the new layout, I love the simplicity of it and how it's easier to navigate and visit my other pages.

Thank you New York for being amazing as always these last three weeks, as well as my family and friends. I'm looking forward to returning in March for St. Patrick's Day, a family tradition that I will never be away from, even if that means traveling across the world to be there. Kyle and I have so much to look forward to in this new year and I can't wait to share it with you through my posts. I love you all.

Remember this moment.

Hey there Loves, hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. Welcome to 2012, I am wishing you the best year ever. I had a nice weekend, filled with family, friends and the best present, my manfriend Kyle. I picked him up from the airport Friday and I can't tell you how nice it is to have him home for a few days before we both head back to France. 

Friday afternoon Kyle and I had our own little Christmas, we spent time in our apartment exchanging gifts. I had so much fun opening our gifts to each other, Kyle's gifts were so thoughtful and I am so appreciative of the love he gives me. I almost passed out when he pulled out his last present to me. It was a little blue box from Tiffany & Co., I couldn't wait to see what was inside. He said this was his favorite gift and it soon became mine, inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a turquoise charm from the Paloma Picasso collection, it is so beautiful. another awesome gift I received was an external flash for my Nikon D3000, this is something I've been longing for and I've already seen an improvement in the pictures I have taken. 

The rest of the weekend was spent with family and friends, celebrating the New Year. Starting with a wonderful New Year's Eve brunch at Kyle's parents house. It was so great catching up with Kyle's family who has really become part of my family as well. Saturday night Kyle and I hosted our first New Year's Eve party and first party at our apartment, again it was nice to have our friends and family around to ring in the New Year. I was so happy to start another year with my guy, I can't believe we've been together since 2008. Here's to another great year, better then the last, full of adventures, fun and new chapters. 

New Year's Day was spent recovering from the wine and champagne consumed the night before. We enjoyed several cups of coffee curled up on our couch watching SportsCenter, it was actually the perfect morning to me. Later in the day we enjoyed lunch at the Manor Restaurant, which is safe to say is my families favorite local eatery. All in all it was a great weekend, and a nice start to the new year. I'm looking forward to enjoying the next few days in New York with my guy, experiencing a little normalcy before heading back over the pond for the next six months, with a brief trip home in March.  

To start off the new year, I will leave you with a quote from my girl, Taylor Swift and her song, Long Live, off her Speak Now album. I love this song and it reminds me to cherish moments and memories made, because life moves fast and it's important to enjoy it. I'm so excited for the year ahead and the memories I will make with the love of my life Kyle, my puppy Wooden, my family and friends. 

Happy New Year, now go out and become the best version of yourself! 

Enjoy! 

And you take a moment,
Promise me this, 
That you'll stand by me forever,
But if God forbid fate should step in.

And forece us into a goodbye,
If you have children someday,
When they point to the pictures,
Please tell them my name.

Tell them how the crowds went wild,
Tell them how I hope they shine.

Long live the walls we crashed through,
I had the time of my life with you.
-Taylor Swift, Long Live