luck of the irish

Top of the Morning to everyone!

I know this is quite the shocker - two posts within the week - but I am sticking to my guns with the new found resolution gusto.  Might as well roll with the momentum, right?

So today is Saint Patrick's Day.  And for those of you not pretending to be Irish or wearing green, I say: "What the hell is wrong with you?!"  Today is all about the celebration of a culture, and what kind of people would we be if we didn't enjoy it and celebrate with the best of them?

You better believe that I am wearing green, watching St. Patty's Day themed cooking shows, and only eating the green Jolly Rancher's today.  I do love to stick to a theme.

Now, for a little background:

Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland.  As a young boy he was captured and taken prisoner (really for no good reason) and while in prison he converted to Christianity.  After some years in captivity, Patrick was released and travelled a bit until he had a dream where God was calling him back to Ireland.  He returned and preached the Gospel and converted the Irish to Christians for the next 40 years.  He died of natural causes on March 17, AD 461.  Legend has it that during a 40 day fast, snakes began attacking Patrick.  He drove all of the snakes out of Ireland, which is why Ireland has no snakes inhabiting it.  Legend also states that Saint Patrick used the ever-popular Irish symbol of the Shamrock to teach the people about the Trinity.

And there you have it!  A little trivia about this festive holiday.  I always like to know a little bit about what I am celebrating - it makes it more fun!

And I do love Saint Patrick's day - something about it makes me smile.

I don't what it is: the time of year - Spring finally coming around the corner; the fact that everyone pretends to be is Irish for one day; getting to pinch someone who isn't wearing green (I get such joy from this.  I am the meanest)...

Whatever it is, it's just so fun.

Even though I totally would, I don't really have to pretend to be Irish today - I do, after all, have a great-grandmother whose maiden name was "O'Lasseter."  If that doesn't yell Irish Blood, I don't know what does!

So today, on the feast of Saint Patrick's Day, let's all celebrate Ireland!  AND be on the lookout for those pesky Leprechauns.  And if you catch one, and get a pot of gold, please remember those less fortunate who aren't fast and lack some serious coordination (aka ME).  It makes it nearly impossible to catch those little trouble makers.

And since I have at least 1/8 of Irish in me, I guess I can leave you with a little bit of luck today, because that is what this holiday is all about: Sharing some luck, some love, and some fun.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

And a little Irish toast:

May the Best day of your Past

Be the Worst day of your Future

oh hey, fancy meeting you here.

..........

See that up there?  That is me, crawling back to my blog in shame.

I will try not to make excuses, but I will say that the holiday season (the last time I posted) was a whirlwind for me, which in turn ended up with my not finishing the Great Cooking Adventure that I had been bragging about in my other posts.

So here I am.  Honestly a little embarrassed and disappointed in myself for not keeping up with the blog or owning up to the incomplete Adventure a little sooner.

But I am extending a virtual olive branch, so that you will hopefully forgive me:

Someone that can still be mad after looking at Ryan Gosling with his dog is probably in need of a hug.  And a drink.  

Anyway!  Let's move on, shall we?  

I will start by bringing to light my 2012 New Year's Resolutions.  Because, really, why stop now with all this "coming clean" nonsense that I got going on.  I will say that I am pleasantly surprised with my follow-through on one of the three resolutions that I made.  With the other two I am failing miserably, which is why I am forcing myself to get them out into the public so I can start becoming more accountable for them.  They are as follows:

1.  Run at least one mile every day for the year 2012.  (Still going strong!)

2.  Write more. (Obviously crashing and burning hardcore with this.)

3.  Finish what you start. (.....yeaaaaaah.)

Ironically, I have not written one thing since I made Resolution #2, yet I have completely been on the road to "finish what I start" with the Running Streak.  Isn't that how New Year's resolutions work?  You make 'em, you break 'em, you forget about 'em.  Well, normally I would say yes.  But this year I am trying to really follow through - something I obviously have a little lot of trouble with (as made obvious with this blog thing I am gracelessly attempting to keep up with).

I have even gone so far as to replace my uber-cool computer background with a new one.  Picture this:  All black.  White letters.  Finish What You Start.  Pretty simple, but sums it up and reminds me on a daily basis of Resolution #3.  So I got that base covered.

Last but not least, we have #2.  Writing more.  So much easier said than done for me.  Which is why I need some help.  No, not therapy (although I would probably benefit from that).  I am talking about a swift kick in the behind if I am not posting on a more regular basis.  And, good news!  YOU (yes, you!) get to give me some virtual kick-in-the-butts if I start to slack.  Or you can just call me and yell at me.  Either way.  As a thank you in advance I present you all with this:

If you aren't charmed by this, I give up.  

So there you have it.  I ain't perfect.  And you can now pick your jaw up off of the floor.  Because in one sentence I have both admitted to imperfection and used a word that is not grammatically correct.  It is a new year indeed.