E is for Easter

It's Easter time and with that comes holiday activities, some traditional, some not so traditional.  Describing this year's Easter fun  in words will take too long so today I'll let the photos do most of the work!  :)

Traditional:  Pancakes and bacon for breakfast

Less traditional:  Bunny, chick, and egg shaped "Happy Easter" pancakes

 

 

Traditional: Dying Easter eggs

Not as traditional: Continuing to dye eggs after you've passed the age of 10.  No age limit here!  Involving the whole family is what makes this tradition the most fun!

Grandma and Grandpa getting in the egg dying action

  

Men at work



Traditional: Easter baskets

Non-traditional: Using Fruity Pebbles as the Easter basket and covering it in quarters and other coins.  Quirky, yes.  But when the recipient likes Fruity Pebbles and collects quarters with which to do their laundry...creative and completely appropriate!

Ultimate tradition: Sunrise church service on Easter Sunday.  Waking up to get to church at 6:30am isn't quite as difficult as an adult as it was when I was a kid.  But regardless of age, no one is immune to the one hazard of attending sunrise service....

...exhaustion resulting in a 9:00am nap!

Happy Easter!

Van Gogh Who?

What's black, white, blue and yellow?  And a little green?  Seemingly nothing, but with a some classic inspiration, a little creativity, and a choice beverage.....

 ....you end up with a masterpiece!  Well, kind of, anyway.  I'm pretty sure Van Gogh put a moon in his Starry Night, nothing like the big sun that ended up in mine.

Cori and I hit up another painting class this weekend and had a great time.  Like the over achievers that we are, we sat right in the front so as to keep a close eye on the instructor.  While I tried to stay focused on the painting at hand, I could not help myself in observing our fellow painters.  It was an eclectic mix of people to say the least. 

First you have Cori and I: typical girlfriends doing something fun on a Saturday night.  There were several other girls like us there and I expected the entire class would be made up of females.  Not the case. 

Across the table we had family night going on: an older couple with a nine year old daughter.  She got pretty rowdy with the paint, so there was definitely a point that I wondered what was in her solo cup. 

Two tables away was a married couple.  Sweet that they were there together, but a bit odd because I don't know many husbands who would pass up Sports Center to go to a painting class with their wives. 

Then at the far end of the table were two single guys.  Hmmm..... what was going on here?  Two guy friends engaging in conversation with the ladies.  It was obvious from their body language they weren't "together" so it got me thinking.  Were these two dudes with some artistic creativity as well as dating creativity?  Is it possible that they were thinking so far outside the box that they were on to the new trend of "paint while you drink" classes?  Skip the sleazy bar scene and opt for a mature setting that still allows the assistance of some liquid courage?  These two guys...GENIUS!  Very creative strategy that gives a new answer to singles' common "I never know where to meet anyone" complaint.

Lesson learned: whether you are a taken woman, a happy family, or a single guy, a painting class might have just what you are looking for!

And We're Off!

...Off to the races that is!  Today brings a little adventure, a lot of fun, and the potential for being financially set for life, as I spend the day betting on the ponies.  Maybe the latter isn't so realistic (much like my outrageous notion that I would have a perfect March Madness bracket) but the first two are guarantees.  It is hard for me to explain what I love about spending the day at the race track, but I think the following captures it perfectly.  And no, I'm not even going to lie: I cannot take credit for the following email exceprt combining hilarity and reality.

Email inquiry 

Me: "Are you excited about going to Keeneland?"

Future bookie:  "I've never been to a live horse race before (or a previously recorded one for that matter), so this will be a new experience for me.  I'm always up for new experiences.  Secondly, road trips are one of my favorite things when done with the right people.  Also, I'm down for just about any type of athletic competition, especially one where there is an equal scoring system and the opportunity to win money (legally...I think?).  Finally, where there are jorts, there are mullets."

Yep, fun, money, and jorts: it's going to be a good Saturday!

Photo finish at Keeneland in 2010