T-Minus 39 Hours

Approximately half of the bags are packed. The laundry is almost finished. When Avery comes home in the next ten minutes, she'll have 6 more hours left of school until the big moment arrives. That moment, of course, is when we'll be leaving for Orlando to go visit the big Mouse House. Right around 5 a.m. Friday morning the Mommybus will pull out of the driveway and head South toward the Sunshine State, leaving a rippled wake of morning air in its path. It's our one "big" vacation of the year, the one everybody's been dying to go on for the three months since Christmas passed and we decided to go. You can count on a daily post from the road, as our laptop will be accompanying us on the trip. We'll include tons of pictures of the girls having a blast, and we expect numerous comments detailing your unbearable jealousy. So wish us a safe journey, we'll update you when we get there!

Polish . . as in "Not Irish"

There are quite a few holidays throughout the year that draw my ire. For various reasons, whether I feel they're just bad excuses for banks to be closed and malls to be busy, or if they're clearly just marketing efforts by greeting card companies. The logic behind President's Day, Valentine's Day, and many of these other holidays just escapes me. Not a single time on President's Days past can I ever recall talking to anyone about a former U.S. President, unless it was the Jackson I was parting with at a sale at the mall.

Why, then, is St. Patrick's Day that gets a free pass? Could it be the parade? I haven't been to one in fifteen years or more. The last time I remember going to a parade was in Scranton. I believe I was 9. And I can't use heritage to rationalize my affinity for the holiday either, even though I've always listed my ancestry as "Irish, English, German, Welsh . . and Polish". Make no mistake about it, I am no more predominantly Irish than Billy Crystal.

Whatever the reason, we go all out for St. Patrick's Day in our house. We're talking Lucky Charms and green milk for breakfast, a new green golf shirt, and green socks and t-shirts for the girls. I think Mandi even wore socks with little leprechauns on them to work today. So whatever your heritage is, we hope you enjoy your St. Patty's Day. Have a Guinness, eat some Pigs-in-a-blanket, keep your eyes peeled for rainbows, and don't hit that leprechaun in the crosswalk.