Tax Refund!

I haven't been a working professional for long, but I have been fortunate enough to not have had to pay taxes. Up until this point I have always received a refund, and this year was no exception. Yay! Normally I am responsible, and immediately deposit my check into savings, but this year i've thought about making a purchase.

For someone like me, the eternal saver, it's hard to spend a significant amount of money on any one item. I mean, I am after all the girl who used to save her money in the tea set in her room so that she could then go and deposit it in the bank. So any decision to spend money is not without much scrutiny.

I've considered a range of items, from a bike to a new laptop. I deserve it, right? So I need your help, what would you, or better yet, what are you spending your tax refund on?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you wore green!

Bring on the Clowns!

I love the circus! I love the tents and the elephants, tigers, and bears (oh my!), and the acrobats and cotton candy, and souvenirs. I love it all. I think it is an opportunity for all people, regardless of age, to spend a carefree hour relishing in delightful entertainment. Where else can you see a tiger jump through a hoop of fire? Or elephants form a conga line?

And today, the circus came to town! I played hooky from work for a half hour to go and watch the elephant walk. The elephants parade along a mile route and people come from all corners of the city to see them! We were sandwiched in between the Capitol building and Washington Monument...kind of an odd juxtaposition. They handed out rubber noses, and for a split second I thought about running away to the circus.

Just kidding, not really. I went to the circus a few years back when I first moved to Washington DC (before lobbying reform) and it was great. I still have the souvenirs to show for it. A spinning elephant light up contraption, which I love, and a hat...that came with cotton candy in it. It was a ton of fun, and if you haven't had the chance to go, I highly suggest you do. It is after all, The Greatest Show on Earth!

I Hate Snakes!

And that is why, I think St. Patrick is one of the best people ever! St. Patrick is said to have driven the snakes (pagan religions) out of Ireland and thus bringing Christianity to the country and its people.

Really though, back to the snakes. I hate snakes. And not just for the evil that they symbolize. I hate their tongues, and their eyes, and everything about them. I hate that they bite, and slither, and are silent and sneaky.

When I was younger, my brother and I used to play with the garter snakes in the back yard. I don't know what I was thinking...gives me the heebee geebees just thinking about it. I recall one instance of happening upon one such snake on top of a woodpile and I screamed so loud that my Mom came rushing outside thinking I had been stolen or mamed. Nope, just saw a snake.

So here's to St. Patrick. Please come back and drive the snakes out of the United States!

Happy Birthday to You!

Today my brother, Sean, turns 28...

My brother and I have not always been close. We are pretty much the exact opposite of each other. He's always been the outspoken, loud kid. The one that never did anything by the book. Where as I, on the other hand, am the book.

We are however close in one area, age. My brother and I are 13 months apart, and today marks the beginning of the one month out of each year that my mom loves. The one month of the year that it appears to onlookers that she planned her children.

Being so close in age has its good and bad sides. And although it has taken awhile for me to realize many of the good things about having an older brother, I am happy that we have gotten to the point in our lives where we can be friends.

Happy Birthday Sean!

Texas Independence Day! Yeehaw!

In the same theme as yesterday's post, and in the effort of disclosure, I am actually not a Texan. But, I am proud to call Texas home.

I'll never forget my first day of school in Texas. It happened to be during the morning pledge to the Texas Flag. Yes, there is a pledge to the Texas Flag:

Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.

Get me out of here immediately! To this day, I still find it odd that in classrooms across the Great State, school children are pledging their allegiance to Texas. But alas, I digress.

Today is Texas Independence Day! On this day in 1836, Texas adopted its State Constitution and declared itself free from Mexico! Unfortunately for them, Mexico tried to ignore the Republic of Texas' newfound independence and thus ensued the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto...where we nabbed Santa Ana!

And we all know how that ended...free Burritos at Austin Grill!

Oh, Canada!

Don't get me wrong, I am a proud, red white and blue-blooded American. But, in the interest of disclosure, I happen to be half Canadian. My Mom (seen above!), Grandma, and Papa all derive from the Toronto area. And though I have never been to Toronto, I did get the pleasure of traveling with my Grandma and Papa to British Columbia.

It was the last trip I took with my Papa before he died later that summer, and I remember it fondly. We took a ferry from Anacortes, Washington through the San Juan Islands to Sydney, British Columbia. From there we took a double decker bus to Victoria. Home of The Empress Hotel and the Royal BC Museum. Living in DC, I have been to many a museum, and this one is one of the best. It features lifelike exhibits of Modern and Natural History. This museum is one of the few that truly has recreated the past and allows for an amazing glimpse into what life was like "back when."

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take this trip with my grandparents. I remember my Grandma and Papa teaching me poker on the ferry, my Papa taking the time to exchange his US dollars for Canadian (yes, we were only there for the day) and making my grandparents sit on the top of the double decker bus in the rainy, cold weather.

Still, as Canadian as my Papa was, he fully embodied the American spirit of hardwork and determination. As the Vancouver 2010 Olympics came to a close yesterday, it made me think about my trip to British Columbia with my Grandma and Papa, and it reminded me how proud I am to be half Canadian.