A little bragging, a little learning...

Yesterday my dad received an email from someone who had heard him speak at a conference in the early 1990's. This person was writing to thank him for the impact he had on their entire career. It was a very heartfelt message that described the various ways they had put my dad's guidance to use.

It has been over 12 years since this person has come in contact with my dad, and yet they write that when they think of the individuals who had the most positive impact on their life, my dad was one of four. Now, I don't say any of this to brag (well, maybe just a little!), but rather to share a few lessons I was reminded of today:

1. You never know when something you do or say may affect someone for the rest of their lives.
2. It's never too late to tell someone "thank you."
3. Sometimes it's the children who should be proud of their parents.

Girl Scout Cookies

Today is always one of my favorite "non-holidays" of the year. It is right up there with "Red Cup Day" (you Starbucks lovers know what I'm talking about.) Today, I received my order of Girl Scout cookies! There is something about biting into my first Samoa (my fav!) of the year that just brings back so many fond memories.

I first started out as a Daisy Scout in Kindergarten and made it all the way through Junior Scout in 6th grade. Our weekly troop meetings were always something to look forward to. We would meet in Shannon McNulty's basement and spend the meeting singing songs, playing games (I was always a fan of "The Human Knot"), doing arts 'n crafts, and of course, noshing on some yummy treats!

Cookie season was always a highlight. It was so fun to get into the competition of trying to be the biggest seller. It of course helped that my dad would bring the order form to his office, and seeing as he was the boss, we sold a lot! Of course the best was going door to door and seeing just how many boxes you could get Mrs. Stobie to buy, even though she'd already bought from both Abby and Megan.

I guess in addition to just tasting really good, Girl Scout cookies, and this day especially, have a way of reminding you of a really great time in your life and just how fast time goes by. I miss good ol' Troop....oh heck, who am I kidding, I can't remember what troop number we were! I guess those days really are in the past!

While I can't remember that small detail, I will always remember to wear a "great big Brownie smile!"

I suppose cold weather isn't all that bad...

I know I've been talking a lot lately about how excited I am for warmer days to come our way, but I was reminded as I looked through some pictures today at how much I also adore winter. I know, that sounds crazy, but you can't honestly say you don't appreciate a good snow fall (and yes, I mean the kind of snow that takes place on a day where you don't have to brave the roads or the skies for that matter.)

We didn't really have too much snow here this winter, however Andy did get his traditional birthday snow back in December, which he is always so thankful for. However, while we were on our trip to visit our friends, Greg & Erica, in Budapest, we got quite a snowfall on New Year's Day. It was actually a perfect day where we got to sleep in, enjoy a great breakfast ala' Greg, take a long walk throughout the city, and of course, partake in a huge snowball fight! Here are some pictures of that snowy day. You have to admit, snow really does have a way of "dressing up" the scenery. Of course on the other hand, seeing our rosey cheeks and red noses makes me very thankful that those days are in the past (at least for now.)

Oh and PS: We miss you Greg & Erica!!!!

What a difference warm weather makes...

It is amazing how much a difference a little bit of extra sunlight and warmer temperatures can do for your mood (and your schedule). Not only did I get to wear a skirt to work today (thank goodness as all of my pants were either at the dry cleaners, wrinkled, or too boring), but I also got to wear flip flops on my walk with Liddy. I love flip flops, and so long as the temperature is above 57 degrees, you can bet I'll be wearing them!

Liddy and I met up with Andy at the end of his jog and got to finish out our walk with him. It was a great chance to catch up on each other's days and we also ran into Dreadnought (an adorable bull dog who was named after a battleship) so Liddy was able to got her social hour in.

After our walk, we decided it was definitely a night to grill, so Andy grilled up some salmon and I made a big salad to go along with it. I am now happy to say that while the sun is finally setting, we've already walked the dog, enjoyed a healthy dinner, and cleaned up the kitchen.

So here's to longer days, longer walks, and a relaxing long night ahead of us!

Fore!

The sun was definitely shining today and while it wasn't quite as warm as we had hoped, Andy and I still decided it was a great day for some golf.

It's always hard to get back into it after a long winter, so rather than play an actual round we decided the driving range was probably a better idea. It's amazing how much the long break affects your swing, so we are both anxiously awaiting warmer days and a much more consistant golf game.

It was still fun to get out there though and hit some balls. I do fear that I will be sore tomorrow, but its worth it. I also am having my clubs re-gripped, which I have learned was a long time coming. The guys at the club were practically laughing at the terrible shape my current grips were in, which is fair considering I have had this set of clubs since 2001. And while they couldn't gurantee me an immediate drop in my handicap, I am certain I'll be able to get a better "grip" on my game (pun intended). :)

Here's to lots of great weather ahead and maybe even a hole-in-one this season!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

This morning, Andy suggested that we have a family outing to Old Town where the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade was taking place. We first stopped off at our favorite breakfast spot, the Great Harvest Bread Company for some yummy Apple Scapple bread, which by the way tastes better when you just pull bites off with your hands while sitting in the car. No knife, butter or plate necessary!

In addition to the parade there were lots of other festivities going on, including a classic car show where we saw a Delorean, (the time traveling car from Back to the Future...we did not take it for a spin), a dog show, and lots of great Irish music and dancing.

The dog show was certainly a highlight. Basically it was open to anyone with a dog and every little pooch won a "1st place" ribbon. We had dressed Liddy up in her new St. Patrick's Day scarf, and I have to say she was very underdressed! There were dogs in green tutus, St. Patty's t-shirts, and even one dog had cans of Guiness Beer hanging from his sides. The dog (and people!) watching was great!

Once the dog show was over we made our way up King Street to spot out our seats. To avoid the crowd we chose to sit on the not so sunny side of the street, and while we didn't bring a blanket with us, Liddy is a good substitute. Before the parade started they played lots of great Irish music and people were encouraged to dance in the street and sing along. It was fun watching all the kids jump around dancing and we even got to watch one couple show off their ballroom dancing skills.

The parade itself was really exciting. They had every branch of the armed forces represented, as well as all the local police and emergency services. They of course also had lots of men in kilts playing bag pipes and rapping on their drums and for such a windy day, those guys did a great job at maintaining their modesty--thankully there were no Marilyn Monroe moments! There were also lots of youth groups doing traditional Irish dancing which is always fascinating to watch.

It was a great way to spend our Saturday and it certainly brought back great memories of childhood parades. Here's to lots of great fortune and maybe even a little bit of luck this month!

Virginia State Capitol

Andy and I were both born and raised in Virgina, and yet neither one of us had ever toured our state capitol. I suppose it did take me until 8th grade to visit our nation's capitol, and considering I grew up about 40 minutes away, I certainly seem to have a track record of "capitol apathy." Fortunately, this past weekend we finally made it to the heart of Richmond and got to walk the steps of our state capitol.

Not only did we get to cross one more place off our "to see before we die" list, but we also got to visit with our friends Chris and Aimee and their adorable and energetic dog, Morgan.

Liddy and Morgan have become rather good friends over the past year, and have even spent weekends together at Lake Anna and the beach. The "girls" pretty much spend their time chasing after one another which works out well for the "adults" as we get to chat and enjoy having someone (or rather some dog) entertain ours for awhile.

All in all it was a great weekend filled with sight seeing, exhausted dogs, great food, good wine, and of course, awesome friends.