A week later, and a year older!

So. It's official. I'm 25 years old now! Would you believe it? It's true, and so far 25 has been so good! Last weekend was dedicated to celebrating! Here's some of the highlights:

Friday: Dinner with Tori and Rachel at Tapa the World for amazing tapas and my favorite Sangria in the whole world!

Saturday: Breakfast and shopping with Mama-- I got an ipod! Now I just have to sync it... Then party with the Graff's that involved delicious appetizers, wine tasting, and interesting Liquors. Finally, a bar hopping extravaganza that actually only included two bars: Whiskey Wild (just had to) and de Vere's (a new favorite). I stayed out too late and drank too much and had a great time!

Sunday: Brunch with the church crew at Capitol Garage then a movie night in.

Thanks to everybody who shared the celebration with me-- it definitely would not have been as fun and meaningful as it was without you! Everybody has been so wonderful and I am definitely blessed to have such great people around me all the time. 25 is going to be a great year, I can tell already!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Most of us know St. Patrick's Day as the Irish drinking holiday, but where did it come from? Who was St. Patrick, and why is it celebrated on March 17th? Well, let me tell you!

St. Patrick was not actually born in Ireland-- he was born in Wales. The first time he went to Ireland was not by choice; when he was 16 years old he was kidnapped and forced to be a herdsman. He escaped and returned to his family only to be called back to Ireland a few years later by God through a vision in which the Irish people said to him, "we appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." And so St. Patrick began his missionary career.

Another thing that St. Patrick is known for is chasing all of the snakes out of Ireland. Well, most people agree there probably weren't snakes in Ireland to begin with, but this could have been some kind of metaphor for converting pagans who used a serpent as their symbol.

And why do we celebrate on March 17th? That was the day that St. Patrick died. He is believed to be buried in the town of Downpatrick in Ireland.

And what would this blog post be without a factoid about alcohol?! Did you know that more Guinness is consumed in Britain than in Ireland? It's true. But even more interestingly, the second top consumer of Guinness in the world is Nigeria, with Ireland coming in third.

Super Sappy Valentine's Day

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. It's a day that has never really bothered me. Sure, I've bought into the whole "it's cool to hate Valentine's Day because I'm single" thing every once in awhile. But really, to me Valentine's Day is just a commercialized holiday that makes people compelled to give each other chalky little heart candies. I feel just as love-sick (or just as happy) on Valentine's Day as any other day of the year.

One thing I can appreciate though, is the history behind Valentine's. The day is named after St. Valentine who, legend has it, continue to perform marriages even after Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriage in the third century AD, and was martyred for doing so. That's how the holiday got it's Christian name, but the celebration goes farther into pagan Roman history. It has it's roots in the festival called Lupercalia-- a celebration in which naked men would whip young ladies in hopes of increasing their fertility. Those crazy Romans! What didn't they do?

If you want to check out more fun facts and history about Valentine's Day, go here. Ok, love you! Mean it!

Happy Spainiversary!

Tomorrow, my sister and I are headed down to Oakhurst, CA to visit one of my very best friends, Tori, for a celebration we call "Compostella Day." January 28th, 2007 I completed a 500 mile pilgrimage with these two women in Spain: the Camino de Santiago. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I'm going to spend the next two days reminiscing about it. If I haven't ever told you about it (which is unlikely) please ask! I love sharing the stories. For now, Buen Camino a todos!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Here is my gift to all of you who read this blog. Happy Holidays!

Happy Flag Day!

Do you know what Flag Day celebrates? Well, the American Flag, duh. But of course, I wanted to know the details so please, allow me to share them with you!

Betsy Ross is said to have designed the first flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes.

Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes (also known as Old Glory) as the official Flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it a national day of commemoration in 1916, and it was adopted more officially in 1949 through an Act of Congress. Flag Day is not an official federal holiday but was made a state holiday by Michigan in 1937-- the only state to ever do so. In conclusion, Michigan is great and so is the American Flag. Happy Flag Day!

I'm finally street legal!

I'm sure everybody will be happy to note that my tricked out '95 Ford Escort LX (known as Tiny Dancer or Time Bomb) is now, for the first time since I've owned it, street legal. About a month and a half ago the law finally caught up with me and cited me for not having a front license plate. It was easy enough to get the new license plate but proved to be very difficult to actually put it on the car. I mean of course I never really tried to put it on my self but the two people who did had a hard time. Finally, my dad just power drilled it to my front bumper. And hey, that works for me.

Also, a very Happy New Year! The New Year is always a little hopeful and a little depressing. It's great because it's sort of a symbol of new beginnings, putting the past a little bit further behind or moving on to do new exciting things (like be a Senior Park Aide!). But then it can be depressing because I know I'm not going to stick to my resolutions to exercise and read more and blah blah blah. But hey, maybe 2008 really will be different! Be wishes and much happiness from the depths of my heart!

O My G!

Wow, so like where did December go?! I wasn't even ready for Christmas until the 23rd and now it's done and gone. Dang it! I mean, I still had a good eventful time and I am so thankful for being able to spend time with family. Let's see, some of my best presents where a couple of gigantic National Geographic photography books (they weigh about 20lbs each!), a mini Swiss Army knife, and a hot pink fuzzy bathrobe from the cutest sister in the world.

I am hoping to post some pictures soon but the computer with the pictures doesn't have internet and vice versa. Keep your eyes out though.

Another totally random thing: I've been listening to Relient K a lot lately and they are fabulous. If you go to their website you can listen to some of their newest music for free! "Forgiven" is like the best ever.

Lastly, Happy Boxing Day!