I am a Workaholic!!!

Yes, I consider myself a "workaholic". Before you judge me, listen to my reasons... I love my job (and I mean I L♥VE it!!!). It's usually the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I dream of before bed. I've saved lives, taught classes and planned weddings in my sleep (but, who hasn't?). After several years of long hours and sacrifices I still can't get enough. The experience of working at my goals is more fulfilling than the end result. I don't imagine retiring when I'm older, I imagine having more time to work, plan, sew, help and create. It’s what I love.

With that Being said, one of the questions I hear often is, "How do you balance work and personal life?" or "How do you stay so productive?". The answer is a balanced lifestyle. Over the years I've learned (sometimes the hard way) what my personal boundaries are. Every person is different and needs a special sense of balance.

I've learned that I can work long hours without breaking down if I have things to look forward to. I schedule date nights,  Beauty based Appointments  and coffee dates with my friends. This give and take method works really well for me. For example, right now I am working long hours every weekend away from home on the ambulance. Im also taking an online Bridal consultant Course... getting back into teaching... while still planning Passion Parties with My Ladies... and Trips to NYC with the Gals. I also make time for my amazing boyfriend, My family and my Kitty! Don't be afraid to give yourself incentives for a job well done... if you can keep your chaotic life organized.

The second important lesson I've learned to keep myself cheerful (and sane) when working a LOT is steady sleep. I used to be really proud of my all night work sessions, but I was drained. These days I sleep four to eight hours every day... somehow and I've never been happier. I get more done when I'm awake and, most importantly, I feel human! If you're a young entrepreneur, give yourself some sanity and go to sleep. Just trust me....♥ Naps can be your best friend... and don’t use the line “I’m Just resting my eyes”.. instead curl up with a Blanket and Let sleep take you away!

The last piece of advice I have to offer is all about attitude. It's easy to get overwhelmed and feel victimized by a crazy schedule. I have to choose to remind myself daily that I chose this career (and all that it entails!) and that I have to be thankful for the opportunity to do it. Complaining and getting discouraged is easy. The challenge is keeping a positive perspective about what needs to be done. Maintaining an optimistic and enthusiastic energy for my career/future & Goals is one of the most important contributors to my continual growth into adulthood. This kind of attitude propels us forward, and the absence of it can be pretty devastating. We're all human and we all have difficult times, but I feel very strongly that staying inspired and positive about my work is my responsibility. No one else can do it for me.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that while my lifestyle may never be "normal" it's working really well because I've found a way to work a ton while still enjoying life to the fullest! I feel like my career adds so much to my life and it's something I will never regret making sacrifices for, even if I am labeled a "workaholic".
Chow 4 Now

My Bucket List

I think we all have a bucket list, whether written down or not, of the things we want to do before we head north.  My life experiences have taught me to get busy, because none of us knows just how long we have.  I’m not being all gloom and doom, I’m just saying get off your hiney and make some things happen.

While my 20-something years have been filled with lots of adventures, beautiful travels, lots of laughter, a few tears and hard work, there’s quite a lot of time left to get things done.
So in no particular order, I fully intend on accomplishing this bucket list at one point or another throughout the next several decades of my life. I see these items mostly as goals, dreams, ambitions, hopes, wants and desires. As I make progress, I’ll cross them off....Of course, I’ll consistently add to the list too–ya know, to keep you on your toes.

- Go to the Grand Canyon (went to Vegas in 2009.... but didn’t go to the GC)
- Skydive
- Start my own blog
- Learn to speak a new language fluently
- Read a new book every week (.... always in progress)
- Buy a fancy camera (like one with a fancy lense and flash)
- Take a photography class
- Learn how to drive stick shift
- Purchase a home of my own or with a partner
- Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
- Go on an African safari and see a Giraffe in the wild
- Run a Marathon
- Buy a new car
- Go to California
- Take a U.S. road trip
- Fly a Plane (Best Birthday Present Ever)
- Go on a hot air balloon ride
- Change a Tire on A Car
- Be Engaged
- Be a Wedding Planner
- Go down South on an all inclusive trip (Cuba 2011)
- Eat Sushi
- Go into school for something in the Health care Field (graduated, Now a Paramedic)
- Get Married
- Write a Book
- Have Children of My Own
- Sponser a Child from another country ( I have from Lebanon)
- Go on an All Girls Trip Somewhere
- Be a bridesmaid (Mindy's Wedding 2011)
- Sang in front of Strangers
- Learned To Play Guitar
- Take Nude Photo's Professinally
- Be some Kind of Teacher  (First Aid Instructor)
- Adopt a Pet  (Adopted two Kitties)

- Become involved in a Church
- Be in a Movie or Commercial
- Go to Hawii
- Be debt Free
- Backpack Across Europe
- Go White Water rafting  (Summer 2008 in Maine)

- Climb a Mountain
- Learn to Ski
- See Elton John in Concert (February 2009 in Las Vegas)
- Meet Someone famous
- See The Northern Lights
- Paint a Complete Room
- Be Paid to Make a Scrapbook
- Start My own Buisness
- Learn to Make Wine

 This List... Will Continue to Grow....

Scales

Lately, I've been pretty darn happy with my body. I've been away from home, so I haven't had access to junk food that we have at home, but I do think I'm getting more fit or in shape. While my clothes may not be fitting loosely (yet), they're fitting very comfortably - which is a step up from when I used to be working @ the Nursing home... masking my weight under scrubs.  Wearing regular clothes would be constricting me because of the extra poundage I was putting on (and water retention from all the salt in most restaurant foods).

This morning, I decided to step on the scale at my parents house to see where I stood, weight-wise...so I thought I'd see a big drop. But... no such luck. I was a little disappointed, but then I turned toward the mirror - and I really liked what I saw. My stomach looks flatter, my arms and legs look more toned, and that made my day. So how could the scale be so high? Muscles being heavier than fat be damned; I wanted that number on the scale to go down!

I didn't dwell on it, as I had a million other things to think about at the start of my day, but later in the morning I happened to come across this cool picture ( look @ the bottom)  I read it and wholeheartedly agreed with it.. 

 

 

Friendship

.....So I have said.... “I look at every female friend I have... as a potential bridesmaid” or “they have the characteristics I want in a best friend and bridesmaid”.  I often think about my friends, probably a little to often. I miss my friends that i have lost touch with, I long for the friends I have yet to meet and... enjoy the friendships I have that are blossoming.

Women, more then men, have great urges to hold on tightly to old friends. Sociologists have data showing that women who can maintain friendships through the decades are healthier and happier with stronger marriages. Not all women are able to sustain those friendships, however. Its true that countless grade-school girls arrange themselves in pairs, duos, threesomes and foursomes, vowing to be best friends forever. But as they reach adulthood, everything gets harder, when women are between the ages of 25 and 40 their friendships are most at risk, because those are the years when women are often consumed with marrying, raising their children and establishing careers.

I honestly believe that when women think about their friends, they find themselves pondering every part of their lives, their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their dependence on other women, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters...everything. For girls, friends form the center of their lives. Friends light up girls' days in preschool, become inseparable in elementary school, and help girls in middle school develop their own, separate lives. As girls grow up, it's not unusual for them to find best friends, break up, and reform friendships time and again.

As an adult, friendship is no less important to me than it was in elementary school.  A lot of my friends can be very crude. They are comfortable with any flaws I may have.  Because there is no one road map for the relationship, friendships are allowed the breathing room to develop naturally over time. Close friendships can have a level of effortlessness, naturalness, and grace that all but the very best romantic relationships lack.

The best times are when we lounge around a friend’s bed like sloths, talking about whatever happens to come to mind. We don’t have to think about what we are saying; whatever comes out of our mouths is generally ok, no fears, no censorship, you can be utterly yourself.  Friends understand each other; if they had to work at understanding each other, they wouldn’t be friends.

But is basing your life around your friendships the best way to live beyond your twenties and thirties? Friends are still going to get coupled up and married, and people have children. Friendships, like amorous relationships, take time to maintain, and in the middle years, inevitably, people need to pour energy and time into their homes, their spouses and children. However, I consider my friendships very important and will continue to let them be a very important part of my life!!!

GoodByes....

I thought once I grew away from the curfews, parental house rules, and the occasional ‘you’re grounded’ catch phrase and into a land where all of those things became obsolete that I was home free. Well I was sadly mistaken. If this is ‘home free’ then I want a do-over and would gladly allow my mother to revisit her ‘days of grounding. Unfortunately life doesn’t have a do-over option So instead, I will take a moment of silence to bid farewell to a few things that I have taken for granted over the years. Goodbye free room and board or any sort of parental donations (we had a good run and my bank account & I will shed some good tears over our separation), goodbye college (you may be in my past, but don’t you worry I will try my best to pretend you are still with me on the nights where I can procrastinate till the early hours of the morning...when i should be doing something else!), goodbye weekly social life (my liver will still smile, but I have my Facebook account to remind me of your past existence and the many drinks shared with friends!!!)

,,,Tears To my Eyes!

I fell in Love with this Little Girl & This Video and wanted to share it with you all!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkNzRjXK3hc&sns=fb

Please Go Check it out!

Routines

So, I thought I would take a different approach for todays Blog. I remember being young and silly and always living by what was in my horoscope. Its been years since I have read one... so today I did just that and here is what it said.

“You will want a break from the predictability of your usual routine and methods. You're in the mood to experiment and to learn something new. Offbeat or original ideas excite you and you will seek people who can offer you a different way of looking at things. Discovery, inventiveness, and spontaneity are major themes now.”

...So this got me to thinking of how much my life is actually based on routines, patterns and prediction.  We all have them... but did you ever stop to think about them? This may sound very strange to you, but to me it made perfect sense. Have you ever noticed how small and narrow your life is? Now I don't mean children, or husbands and wives, cars or houses, how much money you have....I just mean you and what you do. 

Think about your day, Ignore the pieces that you have to do, like going to work. This is about your free time. What do you do? Start from the very beginning. You get up. How do you get up? Do you always place your left foot on the ground first? Put on your glasses? Do you drink the water that is beside your bed, walk straight to the bathroom, clean your teeth first? How do you do it? Think. Is everything always in the same order?

The Question is why do we do it this way? Try and think of how many habits you use in just one day. Then ask yourself why. Is it just the easiest way to do everything?  Have we subconsciously programmed ourselves so that everything falls into place perfectly. I have always been one for routines, ever since I was young,  I did everything a certain way so that I wouldn’t forget things.  So many of us walk through life, on a narrow strip of routines... never stepping outside the box, never changing our ways. I know I feel so much better when I am back inside my house, making tea, sitting in my certain place on the sofa, and watching my favorite TV show..curled up in a blanket.

Crazyness....I like my routines... my plans and the way my day goes.  Just some food for thought!!

Hey

Heya,
Just a little note saying... you may not see me until Tuesday! But I am here in Spirit... I am working away this weekend! xox

Parenthood!!!

...So I have a new obsession....The Show “Parenthood”. This show is a way for me to see that my craziness is normal and enjoy some “quiet time” to myself… (yes for all you work-a-holics like myself, there is such a thing as “quiet time”). Oh my gosh, I love my alone time! As much as I love being around other people, I really just need my own time to do... nothing? Haha, usually my alone days are spent tidying the house, or catching up on blogs, or procrastinating, reading, or something like that. It's weird, but if I don't have some time to myself, I start going absolutely crazy.

If you feel frustrated, tired, overwhelmed or just out of balance with yourself, maybe it's because you don't make time for yourself. It often seems that our days are engulfed in a pyramid of tasks. Does it seem like your life has become a series of tasks to complete, rather than moments to enjoy? We often get so caught up in life and all of what needs to be done... that sometimes we forget to take time for ourselves.  Lack of time for ourselves often leads to feeling frustrated, tired, overwhelmed and out of balance (at least that is how I often feel).

This past year, I have come to appreciate the power of truly loving and caring for myself. Most of my life, being alone was one of my biggest fears. I found myself in numerous relationships for the wrong reasons and ended up settling for ‘partnerships’ just for the sake of having a relationship. This fear and lack of understanding of myself caused the relationships to become my whole world; my focus of attention; my center. I would sacrifice my own goals for the other person. And, when the relationship collapsed, so did my sense of self. I was nothing without someone else, or at least so I thought.

Through much thought, I realized that I didn’t truly love or appreciate myself and had relied on external sources for love and approval. I decided to change. I had to overcome my fear of loneliness by finding independence and personal freedom (which I did, I learned that it was okay to be alone). Even since I found true appreciation for myself, the quality of relationships I have attracted has been phenomenal. I feel as if my friendships are less toxic, I am hanging out with people who are positive and inspirational. My relationship with my parents has greatly improved and I have begun to appreciate the little things they do for me. Also, my romantic relationship with my boyfriend, is mature and amazing and for the first time in my life I feel, “Happy in Love”. I have discovered that the more I love and understand myself, the less I feared being by myself, and the more healthier relationships I was able to attract into my life.

I started doing what I called “date night”. Regardless of my relationship status, I would schedule time with myself. I would literally take myself out on a date and spend that time totally focused on myself. It’s my time.  However, what I like more then time alone, is time with people. I love my dates with my boyfriend, and value each and every minute we have together. I work away a lot, so sometimes we can go days without seeing one another! So I try to make each moment count! Today I had a lovely date night with a great Gal, JM! We went for Sushi and did some Lingerie shopping... It was fun and enjoyable!

..So this whole rant started with the show “Parenthood” which I am watching in the dark @ 130 in the morning. At this present time, my boyfriend is sound asleep in bed, Jack my cate is asleep @ my feet and I am listening to the Thunder... yup thats right... thunder in the middle of January! Mother Nature Got her wires crossed.... but thats another blog for another day.... xox ya’ll

Do You Ever Have Days...

Do you ever have days where you feel like your to-do list is just so long, you'll never complete everything?

Do you ever have days where your e-mail inbox, or text box is so full, you just get overwhelmed?

Do you ever have days when you just want to lay in your bed all day with the coziest blanket, the warmest slippers... and just not do anything????

Do you ever have days where you want to upload all photos on your camera, but oh yeah, you don't have the time, so you end up posting blog posts titled "Do you ever have days..."?

Do you ever have days where you just don’t care, you know you have things to do but...meh? It can be done another day right?

Do you ever have days where you have multiple tabs open on your browser because you have so many things you need to look at yet, and if you close them, you'll forget? And... They are important!

Do you ever have days where your kitchen table is piled high with bills to sort and notes to take and lists of things to buy at the store, and...

No?

You don't?

Oh.

I do.

Be back when I've found my sanity...and if you have it, please give it back. Thanks. :)

Saying Things We Don't Mean!

Whether we like to admit it or not, we've all done it... You and your partner are arguing, and in the heat of the moment, you or they blurt out some very mean things to try to dig the knife deeper... I am extremely guilty of this. I get in heated arguments and just as I know I shouldn’t..I say something negative, something rude, something unforgivable and unacceptable. Soon as the words exit my lips, I regret. When a couple is seriously locked in a battle and the adrenaline is surging, odds are they are not going to solve the problem and usually one or both will say mean and hurtful things that they will come to regret later. And as I said, these words can be very damaging. I believe it’s something we would never normally say and it pops out in anger, it’s not what we really think. Honestly, if deep down inside we actually thought it, surely we would have said it before. So, this is my online apology! Im sorry to all the people that I have told off during a fit of anger! It wasn’t my intention and although I cannot take it back, I do sincerly apologize.

Lies Lies Lies!!!

Well, I am back as promised! So I was kind of busy there for awhile, life took over (How dare it come between me and my blogging)! So I have been doing a lot of reading lately while working @ my new job.. waiting for people to get hurt or sick so I can tend to them (it sounds bad, but thats my job). Lately I have been a big fan of the Emily Giffin books.. She wrote the something Borrowed, Something Blue collection. Emily Giffin’s  books are funny, sensitive and truthful depictions of female friendships and the complexities of marriage and motherhood and the ever so popular question of “What If”. I enjoy her books because there is always a sense of truth to them. With that being said....a truth for her books is that people always life. That is what I am choosing this blog to be about!
   
Women & men alike are taught to lie from childhood. Those simple, altruistic lies such as saying we've had a lovely time  out on a date when we actually hadn’t, that someone looks nice when she doesn't, or that we're delighted with a gift we don't really like, are just some of the small ways that lying oils the wheels of our social lives, keeps the peace, and makes other people happy (admit it we all do it).In fact, we lie so much and for so many reasons that often we don't even think of it as lying at all, but as 'relationship management'.
 
  In Emily’s last book that I read.. and interesting quote states that couples often lie to other couples about how often they have sex with their partners. Common, you’ve heard it eh? You speak to a new couple... in there first few months... Having sex like rabbits, everywhere and anywhere. Then comes the ring & the baby and the sex stops altogether?  So I dug a little further and found some interesting information. What I discovered after doing some research, was that age is not necessarily relevant to regularity of sex, and that it is not unusual to find a couple in their seventies enjoying intercourse three or four times a week, or for a couple in their thirties to only have intercourse once a fortnight... and it really has nothing to do with how many kids they have, or how many years they have been together.
   
  I believe that as long as both partners are open in their communication about their desires & dislikes, and they both make a conscious effort to maintain their sex lives, they can keep happy & healthy intimacy going for decades. So Why do you think we lie? Do we look better to our friends if we say we have sex every day versus once a week? Does it mean our relationship is in a rut? Who knows... but we all do it!!!!

Howdy

Hey Everyone,
So it probabley seems like I have been a little MIA lately, and I have! I have been extrememly busy ending one job and starting another and haven't been aroubd a computer to blog about it! However I will not be one of those that starts a blog and end it a month later! I promise! I work one more night shift tonight and then I am off for a few days, Yeah!!! I have some great blog ideas and topics that I want to share with you! so stay tuned until tomorrow!!! xox

Break Even..

I've been super Busy.. But I found a song I absolutely love....  Its called "Break Even" its originally by The Script but Colbie Calliet re did it.... heres the lyrics... look it up on youtube :)

Breakeven...
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while she got freedom
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven

Her best days will be some of my worst
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven, even, no

What am I suppose to do
When the best part of me was always you and
What am I suppose to say
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

I'm falling to pieces, yeah
I'm falling to pieces

They say bad things happen for a reason
But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding
'Cause she's moved on while I'm still grieving
And when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven, even, no

What am I gonna do
When the best part of me was always you
And what am I suppose to say
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

I'm falling to pieces, yeah
I'm falling to pieces, yeah
I'm falling to pieces
(One's still in love while the other one's leaving)
I'm falling to pieces
('Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven)

You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain
You took your suitcase, I took the blame
Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains, oh
'Cause you left me with no love and no love to my name

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while she got freedom
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break
No it don't break, no it don't breakeven, no

What am I gonna do
When the best part of me was always you
And what am I supposed to say
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

I'm falling to pieces, yeah
I'm falling to pieces, yeah
I'm falling to pieces
(One's still in love while the other one's leaving)
I'm falling to pieces
('Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven)

Oh, it don't breakeven, no
Oh, it don't breakeven, no
Oh, it don't breakeven, no

Know Before Your 30

So.. I am 27... not quite 30 years old... but I found this and thought it was interesting and very insightful, so I decided to share it with all of you "almost thirty year olds" like myself. Its a compiled list of things you should know before you are 30.

• How to fall in love without losing yourself.
• How you feel about having kids.
• How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
• When to try harder and when to walk away.
• How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.
• The names of you prime minister, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.
• How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.
• How to take control of your own birthday.
• That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.
• That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.
• What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.
• That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.
• Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.
• Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.
• Why they say life begins at 30.

 As I’m getting much closer to this milestone birthday I could not agree more with this list. For those of you near or over 30 what would you add to the list?

...My not so Private Life!

So.. I was casually watching the news today and stumbled upon a clip stating that our lives on the internet are not as private as we believe they are. Do you know what kind of personal information about you can be found on the Internet? Do you know that your name, address, phone number, unwanted pictures, bad publicity, and negative comments from Google and other search results can be found.

You'll be surprised to see what kind of information people can find about you. Without your knowledge and permission, most your personal information is published on the Internet and such things are available for public to search. With your name or a telephone number, anyone can pinpoint the house you live in and obtain all kinds of personal details about you. even worse, there are maybe false, negative, and untrue information and comments about you or your business, your children, friends and family that are spreading on Internet too.

..So I googled my name...I was extremely surprised. Any blog, social media website, account... or group I was involved with online... was attached to my name. Not to mention the places that I have lived, my profession, my age and even pictures I have posted. So it makes me wander how private my life really is. Potential employers don’t just have to stalk you on facebook to learn about you.

If you want to be alarmed, like I was...then take a gander to www.spokeo.com a website that has gathered information from various places on the web about none other than YOU. ..If you don't believe me then type your name into the search engine and see what comes up about you.  And then sit back and take in the fact that they know your address, your age, your salary…even your religion.  Same thing with your Facebook page. Apparently,  All someone has to do is copy your photo and put it somewhere else on the web and it becomes public knowledge – including companies that are buying your information.  Don’t even get me started on the so-called privacy of Facebook.  Basically, there is none.

..My wonderful Boyfriend decided to google my name and found everything he ever wanted to know about me (luckily there was not anything incriminating). Anything I have ever signed up for such as myspace, hi5, facebook and any other social media I was involved in, was accessible via google.  Now my name isn't a common name... but the thought is still pretty scary. Do you know what the internet has to say about you?

Break A Leg...

So, I have been looking @ old cliche’s, sayings and phrases and wandering what the origin of some of these sayings meant! One of the biggest I never quite understood was the phrase “Break a Leg”, So.. I researched it.  Apparently wishing an actor prior to his going on stage to ‘break a leg’ is a well-known practice. A pretty strange wish, actually it is meant magically to bring him luck and make sure that his performance will be a success. From the superstitious age it was thought that jealous forces, or an evil force were lurking around performers wishing bad things upon them. A good luck wish would alert and provoke them to do their evil work, however if you wish a negative thought such as “break a leg” a curse will make them turn their attention elsewhere. The underlying principle is the belief that if you wish evil, then good will come. I’m sure it’s called reverse psychology these days.

Always A Bridesmaid...Never A Bride...

You must have heard this expression time and time again “Always a bridesmaid never a bride”??... So tell me this What do you think of when you hear the word Listerine? You probably think of fresh breath, a healthier mouth, and whiter teeth. and the phrase “ Always a Bridesmaid but Never a Bride,”  does not come to mind?  Instead You’re probably thinking of Katherine Heigl and 27 Dresses, or Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner but I’m sure you didn’t know that this catchy phrase originated with Listerine.

 It’s true (hard to believe), in 1923  Listerine came out with this phrase to explain why girls in the 1920’s were left on the shelf instead of out on dates with men. The 1920’s were a very different time from today, it was more important to settle down and start a family. So, Listerine capitalized on the fact that as young women age, there was a simple answer as to why they couldn’t find “the one”. They even came up with a story about a young girl named Edna.

The Article went something like this:

“Poor Edna was getting on for thirty and most of her girlfriends were either already married, or about to tie the knot. How she wished that, instead of being their bridesmaid, she could be the bride! However, any romance of hers invariably ended quickly. There was a reason. Unbeknownst to her, she suffered from bad breath and no one would tell her, not ever her closest friends.”

So basically Listerine wanted all of the single women out there to believe the reason they couldn’t find a man to marry was because they had bad breath and none of their friends wanted to tell them.  So I Guess It worked on Listerine’s end; they sold millions of bottles of mouthwash. 

Leap Year - Irish Tradition

 So, its the first day of 2012 (yeah!!!!) As most of you are very well aware of, this is leap year. In a leap year an extra day is added to the end of the month of February. Therefore this year will have a date of February 29th. Leap year comes along every four years. Which means that since I was born there has been 5 of them! With leap year also comes tradition. The main tradition that most people think of when talking about leap year is the woman proposing to the man. This tradition comes from the Irish and until last night... I had no idea about such tradition until a co-worker informed me (apparently the movie “leap year” is about this... who would have thought??).
The belief is that the tradition began long ago in the 5th century in Ireland. It is said that St. Bridget began complaining to St. Patrick about men waiting so long to ask for a woman's hand in marriage.  Due to that, St. Patrick granted women the 29th day of February, which only comes around once every four years, to propose to their men.

Relationships in the “here and now” are very different these days in the contemporary world in which we live.  At one point in time Women were courted in a certain way, for a set time frame and asked the father for the girls hand in marriage, and so on.  Now times have changed.  Girls no longer come with a dowry and boys are no longer the main bread winners.  Although there is major changes that have occured for careers and whatnot men are still typically expected to be the one who asks for the hand in marriage.  It is he who puts himself in that vulnerable position of declaring his love first and asking her to bind her life to his forever( or so says their vows).

I don’t know about you, but I think I like the excitement of the tradition of being old fashion! I do not think that I could ever propose! I like surprises to much!!!