Would you rather...?

I know I usually do fill in the blank or Roses and Thorns on Fridays, but I just found this on Morgan's blog, and I thought it was fun. Plus, she asked that I play along if I wish, and I wish! So, if you wish, play along!

would you rather...

be extremely beautiful or extremely intelligent?

Intelligent, no question.

go without brushing your teeth for a year or go without washing your hair for a year?

Go without washing my hair. I feel disgusting if I don't brush my teeth at least once a day.

be rich or famous?

Rich. Fame means absolutely nothing to me.

have an amazing shoe collection or an amazing makeup collection?

Shoes! Give me shoes! I could give or take makeup. It's nice, but it's hard to live without shoes. They protect your feet!

be able to sing or be able to dance?

I'm going to stick with what I am actually able to do here and say dance.

be stranded on a deserted island or in the desert?

Island. I love the beach and couldn't imagine living without it.

have a computer or a tv?

Computer. Endless entertainment is at your fingertips!

wear polka dots or stripes for the rest of your life?

Stripes. They're classic.

drink out of a teacup or a mug?

While teacups are pretty, they're too delicate and small for me, so I'll take my mug.

receive a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates?

Flowers, they don't add the pounds, and they make my life prettier.

get a hug or a kiss from someone you love?

A hug. They always make me feel better. A kiss is hit or miss.

wear converse tennis shoes or stilettos?

Converse. If we're going for life, I choose comfort over fashion.

meet johnny depp or robert pattinson?

Johnny Depp. More impressive resume. Period.

drink a cup of coffee or a cup of tea?

Although I heart tea and try to drink it daily, I am not human without my morning cup of coffee. So, I choose coffee.

live somewhere sunny or cold?

Sunny. I get depressed without sun.

have an amazing house or an amazing car?

House. Who cares about the car? It's where you live that counts.

be kind or funny?

Kind... funny entertains but doesn't really get you anywhere without kindness.

wear a necklace or a ring?

Well, if you look at me today, the clear answer is ring. I wear my ring always, but sometimes (like today) I forget to put a necklace on.

laugh or smile?

Laugh. Does a body good.

love or be loved?

It is impossible to be loved without loving, so I choose love.

 

 

Have a great weekend peeps! Let me know what you're up to, if you wish. :) I have no plans, other than prepping our outside steps for their stone makeover!

 

 

 

{Image via we heart it}

Twilight sky

As I walked into the bedroom to turn on the light, I noticed the way the twilight made the shades glow, and that glow brought me back.

8:30 P.M. That must have been my bedtime, I think to myself.

I peer around the shade to see the last rays of the evening sun sinking to the horizon, turning the sky my favorite shade of blue, lined with a brilliant orange pink. I was no older than five when I slept in that apartment room, where the twilight sky brightened my shades.

It must have been closer to eight o'clock, I thought. My parents would not have let a five-year-old stay up past then, even on the best summer day.

"I can't go to bed," I used to tell my dad. "It's still light outside." I wanted to squeeze every minute I could out of that day.

My dad would chuckle, tuck the sheet under my chin, give me a kiss and tell me to go to sleep.

And I laid in my bed, watching the window shade slowly go dark. No thoughts in my head except what a shame it was to say goodnight to the light of day.

The twilight of a summer night stirs the memory of that simple, peaceful, innocent time I hold dear.


{Image via vi.sualize.us}

Three of my favorite women...

TOGETHER!!!

{Apology for the lack of pictures today. I am under the weather with allergies and just don't have the energy. This will be a short post though!}

Did any of you see The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday? If not, you missed a climax moment in my life. First, I must make some confessions so this makes sense.

1. Ever since My Best Friend's Wedding, I've loved Julia Roberts. It's borderline obsession. I've been trying to see all of her movies, and I can't count how many times I've watched and cried during Pretty Woman. She makes goofy smiles and big, out-of-control curly hair glamourous. For that, I thank her.
2. Ever since reading Basic Black by magazine wiz Cathie Black, I got hooked on Oprah. I subscribed to the magazine for two years, and since I heard she was ending her show, I've been watching her show. I know she's not everyone's favorite person, but to me, she is inspirational. She is beautiful. I believe she is a good soul. 
3. Ever since Eat, Pray, Love was dropped on my desk by a coworker, I've had the biggest girl crush on Elizabeth Gilbert. A lot of you are Twilight cult followers; well, I am an Eat, Pray, Love cult member. The book opened my eyes; Gilbert's writing reached into the depths of my heart and brought me with her. 

Yesterday, Oprah had Julia Roberts on her show to promote the Eat, Pray, Love moving coming out August 13 -- yes, it's already on my calendar because besides SATC2, it is my most-anticipated movie this year. I was giddy watching Julia interact with Oprah and talk about the film and her family life. She is so real. I could see a piece of all her characters in her during that interview because she brings a piece of her to all of her characters, I think.

I almost fell off the couch when Oprah introduced Liz Gilbert and she came out beaming with her adorable blond curls and enlightened eyes. The three of them sat together chit-chatting like old friends, and I WANTED TO BE THERE. If I could have saved the recording and watched it over and over, I would have. 

I think I'm going to have to re-read the book before the movie, and then I'm going to have to start reading Gilbert's next book, Committed.

So, for this Thankful Tuesday, I am thankful for Julia, Oprah and Liz... three women who inspire me to no end.

Thoughts, anyone? Are you looking forward to seeing Eat, Pray, Love? Have you read the book (or will you before seeing the movie)? Do you think I'm crazy for being gaga over Julia and Liz? (It's ok if you do.)

Fill in the blank Friday: Fashion

I'll admit I was intimated by this week's theme: fashion, but once I read Lauren's questions and answers, I got really excited. These are just really fun, so I hope you'll play along and link up to Lauren's blog. I'm also adding pictures because, well, you can't write about fashion without images, and I'm feeling generous on this gorgeous Friday (haha).

1.  One fashion trend I really regret is grunge. Oh, what were we thinking? Why was this deemed attractive and cool? The bagginess, the Berkenstocks, the t-shirts... awful! Ok, I still wear Doc Martens on occasion...

2.  The one thing that always completes any outfit is  shoes. I never feel dressed without shoes, and I'll actually build outfits around a particular pair of shoes I feel like wearing.

3.  I would describe my personal style as  casual classic. Think Audrey Hepburn... because that's what I think when I get dressed in the morning.

4.  My fashion muse is  Reese Witherspoon. She, in my opinion, is our modern-day Audrey Hepburn. I don't think I've ever seen her wearing something I wouldn't wear. She always looks so comfortable yet put-together.

5.  If I could own one designer piece of clothing it would be   a timelessly classic gown. I can't pick just one designer because I like pieces by so many of them, but a classic gown is the one thing I would really shell out the money for, since I would get so much wear out of it.

6.  I would love to raid the wardrobe of  Reese Witherspoon. Could I just take her entire closet? Especially that outfit on the right above (white pants and blue shirt with flip-flops))! Please and thank you.


7.  Today I am wearing  (oh my, I'm so embarrassed!) my pajamas -- light flannel pants and a college t-shirt. I'm working from home and cleaning the house after, so no time or point in showering, yet. If Jed and I go out tonight, I'll put on some jeans and maybe one of my cute new Gap tops since it's warm today .




See? Wasn't that fun? 


So what's on the agenda for this weekend, friends? I'm hoping you all have as nice of weather as we are having here in the Ocean State -- it's teasing with 80 degrees, and the sun is shining brightly.


On my agenda: cleaning the house (that's a given on any weekend), enjoying the lovely weather outdoors, watching a movie with Jed (either at home or in a theater), having Dad visit, change the oil in my car, hang out with friends, cook lamb chops for the first time, and witness the Lost finale with old roommates in their "new" apartment.


Happy Friday! 




{Images via Google Images... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Writer's Workshop: And we lived happily ever after...

It was a night like any other of recent nights that had become regular occurrences. We were laying on the couch watching TV at his place. Yet, it felt different. We felt more intimate.

It had been almost nine years since he ended it and broke my heart worse than anyone ever had. It had been five years since I thought I got over him. But I hadn't, really. I always had that hope; I always had the feeling that it was meant to be. We were meant to be. We would be. Us.

It was getting late, and we had to work the next morning. I was ready to give up hope for another night and head home when he stopped me in my tracks by, in so many words, asking me to be his girlfriend again. Like I had ever given up.

It was surreal. I almost cried. We kissed and said our "I love you's" and cuddled for those precious few minutes. We were back. He was mine.

It was not in vain. I held onto hope. "Us" was meant to be.

{Image via we heart it}

This post was inspired by:

Prompt #5

Wishful Wednesday: Bedroom

'I wish'.... I could come home to this beachy bedroom every night!

When Jed and I bought the house last year, I told him I wanted to decorate the bedroom with a beach-inspired theme. He gave me the go-ahead, and he even helped me pick out some accessories and pictures! I do come home to a beachy bedroom every night, but it could be better (am I ever truly happy? No!), including actually being on the beach (just because I live in the Ocean State doesn't mean I'm on the water)!

 So, my ideal "beachy bedroom" would be some combination of this:

and this:

I would be in absolute paradise every  night when I came home! The first bedroom overlooks the Pitons in St. Lucia (a dream come true!), with an infinity pool -- that maybe I would replace with an infinity hot tub. Oh yeah, baby! The bathroom is right behind the bed, elevated by a few steps, with a rain stand-up shower, jetted tub for two, sink and toilet. At this resort, there's just a half wall separating the bathroom, but I'd do a full wall, of course, maybe with a window in the shower and over the tub so you can look out to the ocean and mountains.

And the bedding in the second picture is perfect. Bright yet soothing in ocean-inspired colors and prints, and white furniture is a must for any beach bedroom -- preferably white-washed. I like the simplicity of this bedroom and how it opens right to the beach and palm trees. I'd like to be able to walk out to the sandy shore from my bedroom... on a private beach, of course, so people wouldn't be looking right into my magnificient room!

{Images via Jade Mountain and The Company Store respectively}

Thankful Tuesday

Ok, so things might start getting a little travel-oriented around here because the excitement and anticipation is building for me...

• 
  
  I'm thankful that Jed and I, along with two other couples, are finally getting around to booking our fall cruise -- yup, on Carnival! It is going to be awesome! I love planning and booking travel, although it gets complicated when other people are involved.

• 
  
  I'm thankful for my new Gap purchases, which are going to be so perfect to pack for the trip.

• 
  
  I'm thankful for summer-like weather later this week; it's going to hit 80 degrees again!

{Image via USA Today}

I might be falling back in love with you.

I'm talking, of course, about The Gap. I mentioned on Friday that I was going shopping with my mom at The Gap on Saturday to spruce up my spring/summer wardrobe. I might have gone a little crazy, so thank goodness everything was 50% off! I think my mother, my sister and I bought almost $900 worth of clothes! My generous mother gave me these lovely items as an early birthday present. Yay! 

So, I liked The Gap, maybe even loved it, while I worked there, between 1998 and 2004, then our love affair quickly ended when they went all trendy on me. Now, though, we might be getting back together. Their clothes fit me again, and I actually found jeans I like! Whooohooo!

Enough chit-chat, let's get to the clothes! 

Shirred floral knit tank, $24.50

I got this color and one with a coral-red background and slate blue flowers.

Floral cardigan, $49.50

Love this, and I can't wait to wear it to work with...

Lace-trimmed cami, $15

This cami that really makes the flowers in the cardigan pop. These are great, want one in every color.

Pocket pique polo, $24.50

This is one of the most comfortable polos I've ever worn, and the color was amazingly flattering. There are millions of colors, and I might have to get another one...

Rugby striped jersey polo, $24.50

This one was also super comfy, and lightweight for hot summer days on the golf course. I couldn't find the color I got online; mine looks like this, but instead of gray stripes, they are light blue.

Open cardigan, $49.50

This is the PERFECT cardigan, love the gray. There are several great colors.
(I also got the tank under the cardigan -- it has crochet lace straps and a cinched waist -- in navy.)

Medium tint wash sexy boot jeans, $59.50

I've tried this style jean twice before over the past couple years, and they never fit well. Gap finally got it right, and these fit like a dream. I might be back in Gap jeans because...

Saturated dark wash sexy boot jeans, $69.50

I also got them in this wash! LOL. The stretch in these is incredible, and they are perfect for a girls' night out with a dressy top.

I also stopped at Old Navy to return my favorite maxi dress on which one of the straps snapped. I'm severely disappointed because I loved that dress. It was perfect in every way. I picked up a couple bright-colored v-neck cotton t-shirts for summer, along with a new maxi dress.

Surplice drawstring maxi dress, $29.50

This dress is no where near as great as the one I returned, and it might go back once I try it on. We'll see. I'm going to try to hunt sale racks for the dress that got destroyed.

There are still a couple items I have on my Gap wish list.

Colored linen blend shorts, $34.50

I didn't try these on, but I have a pair like them from Old Navy and my sister got them and likes them. I have a pair of khaki shorts that are too short for an old gal like me, so I'll replace them with these.

Hip slung easy flare pants, $49.50

I am IN LOVE with these pants. The brushed cotton is super soft, and they fit perfectly. They had them in white in my size, but since I already have white pants, I'm holding out for the khaki. If I can't get those, I may just end up with another pair of white pants!

So there you have it, my big shopping spree. Every so often I treat myself to some nice things in a big shopping trip, and I guess this was it! Thanks Mom for my lovely new clothes! I can't wait to wear them. There's so much more that caught my eye, so I may be back!

{All images via gap.com}

Fill in the Blank Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I am SO glad it's here; in fact, I said to Jed last night while we were watching TV that yesterday should have been Friday. That's how tired I've been this week. It's been good though -- a Christening, a completely lazy night at home, a new lamp from Target, fighting off a police officer in a padded suit (maybe I'll tell you that story another day), and a fun weekend to look forward to!

Now on to Fill-in-the-Blank Friday! This one's kinda random, but oh so fun! Stop by Lauren's blog to play along and link up!

1. The very best thing about the summer is lazy days at the beach, followed by long nights of BBQ'ing and drinking with friends outside.


2. My first crush ever was my childhood best friend, J, who I swore I was going to marry .

3. This may sound really silly but once I clean, I treat my house like a museum for a day or two.

4. I squeeze my toothpaste from the middle, but it's ok because I have this handy gadget that squeezes it from the bottom as I slide it up the tube (hm, that's what she said?!?).

5. My absolute favorite "comfort food" is Kraft mac and cheese... yummmm.

6. A random fact about me is that I've never broken a bone, but a surgeon did break my nose for me once during surgery.

7. The one piece of technology that truly makes my life better and I couldn't live without is DVR! OmG, I never watch shows when they're actually on anymore, and I love being able to fast-forward through commercials. I wouldn't be able to watch half the shows I watch without DVR.

What are you up to this weekend? Tonight, I'm checking out a new bar where my BFF's husband and brothers are performing. Tomorrow, I'm shopping with Mom, then hanging out with Jed and cooking him a dinner he requested. And I'm hoping Sunday will be a perfect lazy day. Have a good one, whatever you're up to!

Writer's Workshop: Book cover

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This is the story of a girl. This is the story of a girl’s dreams, thoughts, accomplishments and failures. This girl is not remarkable in any sense.

This is the story of a girl growing up in a small town, with two parents and a younger sister. This is the story of her big hopes for herself and others; some of them are realized, some are not. Yet, this girl is special.

This is the story of a girl’s journey into womanhood, while clinging to the child inside. This is the story of a girl discovering how special she is.

This post inspired by:

Prompt #5: Imagine your life is now a book. In 100 words, write the blurb for it. (It’s what people will read on the back cover.)

Wishful Wednesday: Regret

'I wish' .... I hadn't thrown 
my blue blanket away!!

via

Linus and I were soulmates when I was a child: we both carried our blue blankets wherever we went, and we both sucked our fingers (him his thumb, me the index and middle fingers on my right hand). Linus was lost without his blue blanket, and so was I. My blanket was the same shade of blue that Linus' wasI slept with it every night, I cuddled with it while watching TV, and I carried it with me always. I think my mother had to fight with me not to bring it to kindergarten.

Then, a sad day came. The day that my childhood desires got the best of me. I was out shopping with my mother, and I saw the most fabulous pillow I've ever seen. It was a "people pillow" -- a small square pillow with the likeness of a girl on it in a little dress with her two feet dangling from the bottom of the pillow in satin black Mary Jane shoes and white ruffle ankle socks.

I stopped my mother in her tracks to show her this amazing pillow. I told her it would be perfect for me to take in the car to lay on and that I really wanted it. She told me no, as mothers often do when something catches their child's eye in a store.

I begged and begged and begged. I would be good for the rest of the day, I promised. I wouldn't ask for anything else.

And, then, my mother presented me a deal I should never have considered.

"I'll buy you the people pillow if you promise that, when we get home, you'll throw away blue blanket."

Whoa. I remember standing in the aisle pondering this for a moment. "Ok," I told my mother, as I snatched my new people pillow off the shelf and happily carried it home.

Ah, but when we got home, I realized the weight of my decision. I realized my mother was dead serious. She went into my room and took blue blanket to throw it away.

This is one of my most traumatic memories: I was standing in the doorway between our kitchen and dining room while my mother held blue blanket over the kitchen trash can. I was clutching my people pillow while giant crocodile tears streamed down my face. I screamed. I pleaded. I sobbed. I begged. I grabbed for my blanket. None of it changed my mother's mind; my beloved, tattered blue blanket was going in the trash.

I still can't believe my mother went through with it. Perhaps my favorite blanket disgusted her in its over-worn, over-loved state. Perhaps she was determined to teach me about accepting the consequences of my decisions. I don't know. She never told me. When I bring up my awful memories of that day, she doesn't seem to remember all that drama.

All I know is I sold out my blue blanket. I regret that early decision because people pillow never took my blanket's place. Sure, it was comfy to lay on in the car. Sure I could rub her satin shoes like I rubbed (off) the satin trim on my blue blanket. But, people pillow stayed in the car. She didn't come to bed with me. She didn't cuddle with me while I watched TV, and she didn't go wherever I went. Oh... and she was PINK.

{I have no idea how I ended up with a blue blanket as a baby, since I was a girl. I had that blanket since as long as I can remember, so someone bought it for me as a baby. But, my favorite color was, and still is, blue.}

Thankful Tuesday

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{I want her beach-perfect hair and sun-kissed skin!}

I'm thankful for:

• My friend's beautiful, perfect, happy, healthy baby boy. He was Baptized on Sunday, and he was an angel all day, even with all of the people, the pictures, the water, the attention. He really makes me want kids! 

• Being able to see and feel summer on the horizon (like the gorgeous girl in the picture above)! I'm drooling over dreams of steamy beach days filled with flip-flops and sand.

• My mother. For all the reasons why, refer to my top 10. We have shopping day planned for Saturday, and I can't wait! (Yes, she's bringing me to The Gap to show me the latest and greatest.)

• My job and its endless possibilities. Sometimes it seems like I'm at the end of the road, but the road never ends. There's always another step.

• Jed. I've been a pain in his a$$ lately, but I'm really glad he's in my life. 

If you couldn't tell, I'm feeling very grateful this week. Do you? What are you thankful for right now? 

I've made it!

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I've been reading guest posts on my favorite blogs for a while now, and I've always wondered how to be invited to the guest post party. I thought of what an honor that would be, to be asked to write on a blog I enjoyed and admired. It would be a sign that I had made it as a blogger.

Well, my friends, I'VE MADE IT!

Mariel and Jessica invited me to guest post on their awesome blog Or so she says... This blog is a wonderful collection of helpful posts on a myriad of topics. If you want to know about it, I bet they have it in their archives. It's like Wikipedia... for bloggers!

So, go on and read my very first guest post here. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Fill in the Blank Friday: Books

the little things we do

I discovered this meme through Micaela at dolce vita, and I've taken a liking to it, so I'm going to make it a regular feature, mixed in with the much-loved Roses & Thorns. I'd love your feedback, and if you want to play along, you can link up at Lauren's blog, the little things we do. This week's theme -- since she's been doing themes -- is books, one of my favorite topics!

1.  My favorite book growing up was "Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh and "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read both of these books repeatedly. There was also a lot of Babysitter's Club thrown in there .

2.  The funniest book I've ever read was  most recently, "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" by Jane Austen with Seth Grahame-Smith. I only read this book because it was part of a book club I joined, and I wasn't disappointed. It is the classic Pride & Prejudice story, with Seth's zombie tale weaved in. I remember reading this on vacation and laughing out loud while Jed gave me weird looks.

3.  The one book that has truly changed my life is  "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you haven't read this book, you should. It was real and inspiring, and I think I look at my life and the world differently because of it.

4.  If you're looking for a real "tear jerker" you should probably read "The Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Patterson. I have not seen the most recent film inspired by this book, but I remember reading this as a kid and crying my eyes out.

5.  If I could meet any author living or dead I would want to meet  Elizabeth Gilbert. I have such a girl crush after reading her first book, and I can't wait to read the second. This is a tough question though because I'd also love to meet the classic authors: Austen, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Shakespeare... the list goes on and on.

6.  The next book on my "to read" list is  "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld. I have a couple unread books on my bookshelf, but since summer is approaching, I think this will be a good beach read.

7.  If I was snowed into  remote cabin in the woods and could only choose three books to bring with me I'd bring  the Bible, "The Catcher and the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner. You got the all-encompassing, the classic and the chick lit.

I was looking forward to a laid-back weekend without many plans, but, as always, it's booked to the brim again. Tonight, I think we are having friends over to plan our upcoming vacation and grilling dinner. (Vacation!) Tomorrow is our celebration of Mother's Day: visiting my mom to help my parents move their living room furniture back after they replaced the carpet, then going out to dinner with Jed's mom. And, Sunday, I'm attending the Christening of my oldest friend's first baby! She is the first of my group of friends to have a baby, and it's so weird, but exciting! After that, I'm hoping I have enough energy left to finally get my house clean. LOL

What are you all up to this weekend? Here's hoping you have good weather and sunshine for lots of fun!

Writer's Workshop: Mother Top Ten

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This week's Writer's Workshop prompts rightfully centered around mothers for Mother's Day this weekend. Unfortunately, I wasn't feel any of the prompts, so I'm creating my own, keeping the theme, of course. So, a la David Letterman, I present you with the...

Top 10 Things I Love about My Mother:

#10 After years of wearing her circa 1986 wardrobe because she spent her money on "us kids," my mother has finally caught up with the times and takes pride in dressing with the latest trends. (It doesn't hurt that she works at The Gap.) She looks better than me most days!

#9 She is smarter than to think she can shop for me without a list; she always asks what I want to save herself from returning it later.

#8 She has definitely earned the right to say "I told you so." She's got a perfect record... of always being right.

#7 She tears up every time she visits my house... because I've grown up and moved out of hers.

#6 She manages to find the card, for any occasion, with the most sentimental and long-winded message, and then she writes her own sentimental long-winded message on whatever empty space she can find.

#5 She is the strongest woman I know. She has dealt with hospitalized kids, scary thunderstorms (in which she has been zapped by secondary lightning strikes three times), a husband on dialysis, having to go back to work (in retail no less) because her husband lost his job and got sick at the same time leaving her to provide for the family, standing next to her husband through a transplant and two rejection scares, watching both her daughters graduate from college and become women, helping her oldest daughter move into her own house (with her boyfriend and without a wedding ring), the death of her own father after a long battle with cancer, and suffering crippling back and neck injuries, among many other things life throws at all of us... and she went through it all with faith and love.

#4 Because of her, I will suffer from OCD for the rest of my life. My family stopped and stared in shock as they were leaving after Christmas Eve dinner when I took the table linens outside to shake them out before throwing them in the washing machine... at midnight. Just like Mom. "If I do it now, I won't have to worry about it in the morning..." was one of my mom's favorite holiday phrases.

#3 She raised me to have manners and respect. I was never one of those kids running and yelled uncontrolled in public. Thank you, Mom.

#2 She knows me better than anyone. Including me.

#1 She stands by me in every decision I make, whether she agrees with it or not. She has told me I will always be loved, always her daughter, regardless of what I do or where I go. Plus, she knows, over time, I'll realize she was right all along.

Even though my mother doesn't read this -- I doubt she even knows what a blog is -- I want to wish her the happiest Mother's Day. She deserves nothing but the best.



This post was inspired by:

Wishful Wednesday: Language

'I wish' .... I was fluent in another language in addition to English, and it would be FRANCAIS!

Ok, I have to admit that I had the opportunity to be fluent in French, and I did not take advantage. I studied the French language and culture for seven years between middle and high school, and I had good intentions of continuing my study in college -- even so far as studying abroad in France -- since I loved the language, and I was good at it.

Before I started my freshman year of college, I found out that I placed above the foreign language requirement for my major, so I decided I would take first semester off from French since it didn't really fit into my schedule anyway. Well, it didn't really fit second semester either, and then sophomore year, I didn't want to have to go to language lab EVERY DAY, which was required for all foreign language classes at my university. So, guess what? I never took another French class again!

Looking back, I regret my laziness. I've retained some basic French, but no where near the profiency I was at; plus, I missed out on going to Paris! Silly college student.

I don't know why I love French so much. I guess because it came so naturally to me after studying ballet for 16 years -- a lot of the vocabulary was intuitive after dancing. I think it's such a beautiful language, and I get sad whenever I recognize people speaking in French that I can't understand them.

I kept my French workbook, and I might go back to it someday, or maybe I'll take a class. Then I'll reward myself with a trip to the French countryside!

I think this is a really cool Wishful Wednesday topic, so I hope you'll join in; I think it will showcase the diversity in our community! So, visit Kelsey's blog (click her button above) and post about what language you wish you were fluent in!

Oh, and to recognize the Spanish language, which I also studied for year... HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO MI AMIGOS!