Wednesday, March 18, 2009

fun...

John payed me a huge compliment last night as we were cleaning up after our very green dinner...he said that I was so much fun, and that his life would be so boring if he had never married me. Actually, I could say the same about him. I love that we found each other, and I love the life that we have built together. The truth is...every fun bone in my body, I owe to my parents, who (while raising me and my siblings) were firm believers that life was meant to be fun. They instilled in us the importance of hard work and responsibility, but even those things embodied certain elements of fun.

My mom was a crazy fool when it came to the holidays. Whether it was Christmas, or April Fools Day... a birthday, or Valentine's Day - she went all out. My dad was always a good sport, and in fact (upon her passing) he even fell heir to her fun, passionate, and often times over-the-top holiday antics. I'm happy to admit that I, too, have inherited the flair...and that my husband, like my dad, is fully on board.

Our nonpareil St. Patrick's Day was one we will not soon forget.

First, after garbing ourselves in green, we enjoyed a St. Patty's breakfast which consisted of key lime pie yogurt, lime Gatorade, and toaster strudels with a custom green frosting glaze.

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John then left for work, but not before yielding to my wishes for a quick photo session...

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I even managed to get some of the dog...

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John returned within just a few hours to pick us up, and take us to lunch so that we could show off our green outfits...

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For dinner we had lettuce wraps, edamame beans, some of the hugest green grapes I have ever seen, green jello, and white irishman (my dad's signature limeade smoothie) to drink. And let us not forget about dessert, which entailed a mint chocolate chip ice cream pie in an Oreo crust, smothered in caramel, and topped with whipped cream...

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Ruby loves grapes. Can you tell that she served herself?...and left no room (on her plate nor in her belly) for anything else.

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For those of you opining that we went a bit overboard, you must remember...I'm the product of a mother who, on St. Patrick's day, dyed the bread so that we could have green french toast for breakfast...and who, on that one day a year, packed our school lunches with broccoli florets, celery sticks, green grapes, a thermos filled with green milk, and sandwiches made from that same green dyed bread.

Plus, we had to overcompensate a bit for our bum day last year, which was spent in the hospital while Ruby healed from the infection caused by her dog bite. The best I could do, to honor St. Patty then, was to make the 1/2 hour drive home to grab green bows for Ruby's hair, and also give her a piece of green gum to chew.

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So maybe we went a bit overboard with all the food, and the outfits, and the decorations, and the green finger nail polish, and the big green bow for the dog; but hey, at least we had...fun.

9 comments:

Amy Eagleston said...

I don't think you went overboard. I think you built an awesome memory and tradition that your family will always cherish. Good work. I only wish I was as cool. I didn't even dress my kids in green :(

Celeste said...

Yeah, I definitely agree you did not go overboard. And I second John, you are SO much fun to be around Nicole. You are a breath of fresh air. I love your laid back style and view on things. Now if only I could be more like that! Its a work in progress.

Your kids will love these memories and love looking back on your gorgeous pictures that document everything so perfectly!

nevedobson said...

that sounds absolutely fun!

can i join your family? haha.

i love that you go all out for the holidays and i always look forward to your holiday family photos.

Lacking Productivity said...

I come from a similar family, and holidays just don't seem right if they are not over the top!

Rachel said...

You are SO fun! I wish I had it in me to be as fun as you! (: What a cute day!

Me said...

Yea for going overboard!!!

Mary P.

diana said...

you are always fun, nicole.

i love your holiday antics... i love going overboard, too.

Anonymous said...

Aye, a bit 'o the blarney it twas, but the leprechans (and your muther was one 'o them) would be so proud! :)

Begorah! I love ya, Lass.

Danielle said...

No way! That is so fun! I did a Green Day for my preschoolers. We even had a "green food" taste test, where I blindfolded the kids and had them try a variety of different green food (i.e., bell peppers, broccoli, apples, celery, etc.) and see if they could guess what it was... FUN! You and John always have so much FUN! :)