Hi there!  I'm one of three Meghan's on the Dittoe PR Team.  Confusing, I know ;)

Originally from Carmichael, California, I am now a 23 year-old Broad Ripple broad!  How did I get here? Good Ol' BU!  Butler University recruited me for softball in 2002 and that was it.  I've been an Indianapolis resident ever since.

After graduating, I took a job with Dittoe PR and now I'm in LOVE!  It's been an amazing place to work and my co-workers and clients couldn't be any better.

I'm a HUGE Colt's fan and an even bigger Butler Basketball fan!

If I'm not at work, home or cheering on my favorite team, you can usually find me on my beach cruiser, riding through Broad Ripple Village with my tunes blaring!

Looking forward to a great 2008!
 

Here at Dittoe PR we do many different types of public relations: We do Corporate Public Relations, High Tech PR and Media Relations across the board, but today I've decided to focus on PR for the Planet. I've already blogged about this once, but after recent conversation it seems the time has come for me to do it again.

Even if you're not an environmentalist, a tree hugger or whatever you'd like to call it, things are changing because of Global Warming and it's not for the better.

Here are just a few of the effects that Global Warming is having on our planet, according to National Geographic:

• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910.

• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent.

• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

Hopefully these facts are enough to turn on that energy-efficient light bulb in your head and inspire you to do something to help the environment.  At a loss for what you can do to help? Here are some ideas:

§     Use less hot water- It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
§     Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible- You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
§     Reuse your shopping bag-  When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop.
§ Buy locally grown and produced foods- The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
§         Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible-  Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!
§         Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates- Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting north american commuters and travelers.
§         Plant a tree-  A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.
§         Be sure you’re recycling at home- You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

For these, and other tips on how to stop Global Warming, visit: http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html

One of the top ten worst things to do in a person's life has got to be moving, and I have to tell you that I've done it way too much over the past six years. 

First, there was moving out to Indianapolis from Sacramento, CA.  That was no easy task!  Imagine me, my mom, my grandma and 12 pieces of luggage (11 for me and one for my mom and grandma to share!)- boy was that a trip! Since then I have moved six times, and my next move will mark lucky number 7. 

Anyone who knows me and has lived through one of these horrific moves can tell you that I am the world's worst person when it comes to packing my stuff up and moving... I'm slow, distracted and pretty much impossible. I just love it when you come across that lost picture or shirt that you haven't seen in years and you begin to think about how it is that you could have possibly lived all of this time without it. Now imagine that happening at least fifty times throughout the course of your move, and spending a few minutes with each piece to reminisce and you've got it... me on moving day (or should I say moving week)!

I begin my next moving extravaganza this weekend, and the best part is- I've already had some of the girls at Dittoe PR volunteer to help me move! They have no idea how nice they're being by offering to help, but I have a pretty good feeling that after reading this post, they'll be renigging on this offer. It's a good thing I'm only moving a few short miles!

In honor of Oprah's Top Picks for Summer, we at Dittoe PR decided to come up with our own favorites for the upcoming season!  We've personally tried each and every one of these things and can tell you from our own experience how great they all are!!! Summer's not here yet, but we wish it were- we're sooooo ready!

Dittoe PR's Top Picks for Summer: (In alphabetical order)

Amusement Parks- "I'm obsessed with Cedar Point (in Sandusky, Ohio). I almost peed my pants on the Draggster! Okay, I don't really know if it's the rides that I like so much as the camping we do when we go there."- Megan Lawler

Bathing Suits- "I like this bathing suit form Urban Outfitters- because the skirt can cover my 'Kardashian'." -Christy Oberley

and cover ups... Polo terrycloth bathing suit cover-up- another Katie Murray pick!

BEER MARGARITAS- Littlefield would!
- 1 lime cut into 8 wedges
- ¼ cup coarse salt
- 2 (12 ounce) bottles of Corona/Corona Light
- ½ cup frozen limeade concentrate (thawed)
- ½ cup chilled tequila
- Ice Cubes

Best summer movie- Summer School (1987) –
Starring Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley and Courtney Thorne-Smith  

Brita Water Filter and Water Bottles- CamelBak Tritan Better Bottle
25-ounce bottle made from a new, clear, safer plastic
called Tritan; in 5 colors ($9, on sale for $6 at REI)- Laura Kassenbrock and I are cutting back on our trash this year!

Cornhole- "Cornhole is a summertime staple at the Sanders household.  It's a great way to enjoy a beautiful summer evening and unwind after a day of work."- Lauren Sanders

Dog pool- "For the furriest family members, get them the ultimate summer treat -- a dog pool. Harry Sanders has already requested one!"- Lauren Sanders

Grilling- "I love my Coleman Road Trip Grill! When it's warm outside I take it EVERYWHERE!!! We've even had grill outs in the parking lot of Dittoe PR with it."- Me

Ice Cream- "I love treating myself to the Birthday Cake Remix from Cold Stone Creamery on warm evening after I finish instructing my spinning classes. It is pretty much heaven."- Christy Oberly

Martinis- Pomegranate Martinis made with vodka, Cointreau orange liqueur and pomegranate juice-- It's a Megan Lawler favorite!!

Music- Kenny Chesney- Greatest Hits CD

Potato Salad!!! "I ABSOLUTELY LOVE potato salad, and when Summer comes around it’s the first thing I make! This stuff is the BEST.  It takes a few hours to put it all together, but it’s definitely worth it!"- Me

Rainbow Flip Flops- "They last forever, they're comfortable and worth every penny!"- Lauren Littlefield

Starbucks Frappuccinos- "These drinks are the best- refreshing and delicious!"- Katie Murray

Sunglasses- “Love, love, LOVE big sunglasses. Lots of people think they’re synonymous with being a diva, but that’s not why they’re so key for summer. Thing is, you can totally be a people-watching creeper without anyone knowing. That, and they make you look like a rock star. Which, let’s face it, if you’re wearing these, you probably are.”- Laura Kassenbrock. Laura recommends Plastic Oval Aviators from Ninewest. Our new intern Katie Murray likes Marc Jacobs Aviators

Yesterday, my friend and newest co-worker, Laura and I signed up for a 6-week-long belly dancing class and last night marked our first class. I cannot even begin to tell you how fun it was!

Judy, a little Lebanese woman was our instructor, and you couldn't ask for a better teacher!  She was small, spunky and definitely knew her stuff. Before we knew it, she had all forty of us in the class spinning, hip popping and shaking our booties up and down that cafeteria. 

It started out with a few more basic moves, and everyone was catching on pretty well, but then things got a little complicated :)

All of a sudden, every move that she taught us seemed to have a little phrase that went along with it.  I didn't understand until this went on for a few minutes, that she was putting our moves to an Akon song!! I'm not kidding... At one point, she instructed us to put one hand on our hip while shaking the pointer finger on the opposite hand "don't be shy girls," then put our hands up shake those, and then shake all around saying "go bonanza, shake your body like a belly dancer." At this point it was pretty hard not to laugh out loud, but it was great. 

If I had a little more coordination in my movements, it'd be different- but I don't.  Think Elaine from seinfeld (see right). I'm six feet tall, and have the coordination of a newborn baby.  Just ask the office- they'll attest to the fact.

Stay tuned for updates on the class. I can't wait to see what's in store for next Thursday!

It started small... I recycle at home (and now here at Dittoe PR!), I don't litter, when it's nice outside, I ride my bike EVERYWHERE and I even promote green products like the AirFlow Breeze, but lately, I've been thinking... I want to DO something BIG- I mean REALLY BIG. 

I want to get involved and hopefully make others want to get involved too.

Worldwide, there are groups, individuals and companies who are doing their part to help the environment.  Whether they're organizing events, building green machines, researching the next bio-fuel or just spreading the word- they're all ultimately dedicated to getting involved and making this planet better in some way, shape or form.

I think for me, getting involved will start with volunteering.

Saturday, April 26th marks the date of one of the nation's largest Earth Day Festivals- Earth Day Indiana- and this year, guess who's volunteering- ME! (and I talked a few friends into it, so they'll be joining me too) If you're interested or just want to see what Earth Day Indiana's all about, check out EarthDayIndiana.org!

Spring time in Indy brings around a few VERY welcome changes...

Weather warms up...
      Trees and plants blossom....
            People crowd Broad Ripple and the trails...

But outside isn't the only place things are changing. Here at Dittoe PR, there is one more change that I'm happy to welcome... Indy Parks is BACK! 

Indy Parks has been a client of ours for a few years, and a client of mine for two.  Unlike the other clients that I work with, Indy Parks is a non-profit organization that serves the Indianapolis community with everything from festivals andcultural events to sports leagues and classes! 

They really are a lot of fun and we're so glad to have them back.  They have planned for 2008, so stay tuned!  It's going to be a great summer!!

It's snowing here today, and although I hate when it snows in Indianapolis, I can safely say that I LOVED it in Telluride. "Bluebird" skies and blankets of snow were a sight for sore eyes... especially when the snow in Indianapolis has been accompanied by gray skies and gusty winds - blah! Looking out the window from Dittoe PR is not a treat today!

I left for my 6 day vacation in Telluride, Colorado last
weekend and from the time that I left to the time that I got back to Indianapolis, I was cut off- almost completely- from the media.  Being in PR, I can't remember the last time that this has happened... probably because it's pretty hard to do, but with no internet, no cable and only one radio station, it's definitely possible. It's not that I don't love staying up-to-date on the news, pop-culture or any other current events... I do, but sometimes it's nice to leave it all behind.

Telluride was amazing.  Instead of cars, there were gondolas;  instead of snow plows, there were snow cats; and, everywhere you looked people were enjoying the snow... instead of hiding inside praying for it to melt.

I only made it to the slopes once while I was there.  It was great though.  We woke up nice and early, rented my equipment and went for it! NOTE: This was my second time skiing ever (the first being when I was 14 and so uncoordinated all I could and did do was cry). This time things started off pretty well. I thought I was a pro and was SO impressed with myself... ha! 

Here's what happened next...
- While on the lift, I was so busy taking pictures of the mountain (and our skis) that I got distracted and my poles got caught underneath me when getting off the chair. I tumbled, knocked over the power supply to the lift, and landed on my butt - directly under the chair and was stuck for a few minutes.
- On one of my falls, I knocked both skis off and it took a good 40 minutes to get them back on. It's not that I'm an idiot - I'm not, but the mountain was steep, I was impatient and obviously pretty inexperienced. If I hadn't gotten the help that I did, I'd probably still be there.
Now, I know my day sounds like it's getting steadily worse and it was - but that's not close to the worst of it. 
- I was trying to get my groove back when with one swift turn left I crashed right into the mountain...  Let's just say that I was the first person to break a ski this season in Telluride...

I could go on and on about my trip, but I think I'll cut it off here.  I LOVED it there and really can't wait to get back...

Every day at Dittoe PR, we do our best to support each other.  In the office we're constantly offering feedback, advice, new contacts...  But, out of the office, the extent to which we go has reached an all time high!

Up until Christy Oberley joined the Dittoe PR team, after hours with the Dittoe Girls involved Tuesday night bowling, tailgating for the Colts and the occasional birthday party. So every Tuesday and Thursday, when you find Christy teaching spinning classes at our local LA Fitness with at least a few of the us behind her, you should know that it is definitely out of the ordinary! It does help that the class is a great one-- a full 45 minutes of extreme cardio and sweat... most of the time!

Last night was the Mt. Everest ride. A 2-hour class, dedicated to getting us in shape.

Now sign-ups for this class started three weeks ago and it was full within three days! Only 30 bikes, and 46 people were just begging to participate. I guess I should have known what I was in for when I was one of only 20 people that showed up for class yesterday.

20 songs and two hours later, it was over.  A great class, a great work out and two very tired Dittoe gals!

Why did I do it? There are many reasons, but I guess the reason I went through with it was to support my friend by planting my smiling, complaining face in the front row! Will I be participating next time? Absolutely! But this time it will be to prove to myself that this was no fluke... I'm actually in shape!