Some Beach, Somewhere

First off, I take a hundred percent responsibility for being a Blog SLACKER! It has been entirely too long since I've thought about posting a blog. However, I have what I think are two pretty understandable and exhausting reasons for my absence: Fourth grade and Kindergarten. Whew! Just saying that makes me tired. For the past five months, I have played host to a fourth grade classroom and most recently, a crazy kindergarten class. No doubt it has been a blast, but I am ready for summer! Can I get a hallelujah?

With that said, I am in desperate need of a vacation, no, more specifically, a beach. Yes, that sounds great! Some Beach, Somewhere! Ya know, where there's a beautiful sunset burning up the atmosphere.. (Sound familiar?) Anyway, if this applies to you, feel free to sing along.

"Some Beach" by Blake Shelton

Driving down the interstate
Running thirty minutes late
Singing Margaritaville and minding my own
Some foreign car driver dude with the road rage attitude
Pulled up beside me talking on his cell phone
He started yelling at me like I did something wrong
He flipped me the bird an' then he was gone

Some beach
Somewhere
There's a big umbrella casting shade over a empty chair
Palm trees are growing and a warm breezes a blowing
I picture myself right there
On Some beach, somewhere

Amen Blake!

March Madness and the Luck of the Irish

Whew, we have made it to March and boy am I glad. It always seems that January and February are hectic and tedious months; and this year was not much different. However, all is well now that we have arrived in the third month of the year, which is one of my favorites. Oh yes, March is great for many reasons, but for me, it has three major standouts. The First being is the weather! I don't know about you, but the cold months are a little excessive and last a month or two too long for me. By the end of December, I'm over it. So, with the exceptions of a few snow days, March usually brings birds singing, warmer weather, and a taste of the summer to come. Or otherwise known as SPRING FEVER. Enough said. Number two reason why March is great also only requires two words: SPRING BREAK! Do I really need to say more? We all know that Spring Break is a much appreciated necessity of life. The end. And last, but certainly not least, the third reason why March is so grand occurs in the middle of the month; Saint. Patrick's Day. Aghh yes, the one day out of the year where you can wear all green and not be tacky. Not only is your wardrobe insignificant, but your drinking tolerance is also quite trivial. So on March 17, which just so happens to occur over spring break, we have an excuse to drink beer to were "green" in the face, eat bacon and cabbage, if you like that stuff, and honor the the Luck of the Irish. Seriously, what more can you ask for?

In any case, I hope I sparked some sort of excitement for you to enjoy this month. March holds many other near and dear festivities, I just chose three of my favorite. So with regards to the Nelsons and the fighting Irish in my family, “If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough.”

Fun tidbit I found. Top 25 Irish Last Names according to http://www.the-irish-path.com/irish-last-names.html

1. Murphy

2. Kelly

3. O'Sullivan

4. Walsh

5. Smith

6. O'Brian

7. Byrne

8. Ryan

9. O'Connor

10. O'Neill

11. O'Reilly

12. Doyle

13. McCarthy

14. Gallagher

15. O'Doherty

16. Kennedy

17. Lynch

18. Murray

19. Quinn

20. Moore

21. McLoughlin

22. O'Carroll

23. Connolly

24. Daly

25. O' Connell

Cupid and those arrows of his

With February being upon us, the month of love, and the infamous Valentines Day in the near future, I have been anxiously awaiting my first V-day with my sweet husband. I know, I know, many of you are convinced that this so called day of affection was created by card and candy companies.. and I can see your point. However, I am a full blown romantic and I believe that it is an age old tradition to forget about all the worries and strife in the world and bask in the glory of love! Amen! Anyways, me being the dork that i am, I decided to do some research on Valentines, Cupid, and all that implies. I think you might find some of this to be interesting.

1. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

2.85% of Women secretly buy Valentines for themselves.

3.Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.

4.The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C

5. Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.

6. Cupid ,the Roman God of Love, is responsible for coupling lovers by shooting darts of desire to both men and women.

(Wow! Interesting stuff right) Well, whether you believe all of that jazz or not, it is nice to imagine that somewhere, somehow, SOMEONE is out there that you are destined to be with. Luckily, I have have found my someone else, my other half, my best friend. I count my blessings everyday starting with Cody. I could go on and on, but I won't. I will just say that I don't know if Cupid's arrows are responsible for my love and desire..., however, it is a nice thought to have on one day of the year. Whether you are single, dating, or married, Happy Valentines Day and watch out for those arrows. ♥

A Fork In the Road

Farewell to the years of college. It seemed that I would be in college for an eternity, but luckily it only took four and a half years to receive an undergraduate degree; which basically means I can commit to something for a couple of years with out quitting, I digress. Oh yes, congratulations have been said and the degree is on the wall. Now I am faced with an even bigger challenge... NOW WHAT? I stand at an intersection with two distinctive directions. One direction leads to becoming a 9-5 working member of society and get a "real" job; which is the reason I went to college in the first place. And the the other sign points to continuing my education by attending Grad School.. So which one route do I take? Work or School? Money now or more money later? Free time or class time? I am sure you can see my dilemma. As I continue to be indecisive and way out the good with the bad, I reflect on a quote by Win Borden, If you wait to do everything until you're sure its right, you'll probably never do much of anything. (Well said)

Feel Free to chime in. Any advice is well appreciated.

And then you get a dog..

Hello all. I hope you are enjoying the short lived snow that we recently received and maybe some relaxing time off. I am personally am enjoying the snow days and cancellation of school, snow days are fun even when your old ; ) Not only do I have some free time to clean my house, especially when my messy husband is at work, but I also get to hang out with our sweet addition to our family. Jasper James Bunyard is our very much adored maltipoo puppy. (Some of you may have heard of him.) For those of you who haven't, I should probably mention that I have NEVER EVER had a dog in my life. Yes, it is sad but true, my childhood consisted of zero pet dogs. So I am just now experiencing what it is to have a four legged friend following me around the house and to snuggle up with on cold weather nights. Not long after we got him, and I mean maybe a day or even an hour, Jasper stole my heart. I will never be the same. So to get to my point, I have always heard the cliche, that you get married, buy a house, and then get a dog; which I often disagreed with and had other plans in mind. But I must say, I am happily guilty as charged.