Sneaking In Under The Wire: *S-Z*

Yes, I am massively lamesauce for falling behind on the last 8 letters of the A-Z Challenge (usual story, illness, massively busy, family commitments, blah blah blah, but it is true, nonetheless). But, even though I had fallen behind, there was no way that I'd just bail out of the Challenge without finishing. So, better late than never, and just in time for the wrap-up of the Challenge, here are *S* through *Z*:

A television show that you enjoy that starts with *S*: Secret Diary of a Call Girl :) Billie Piper is AMAZING!!!

Coffee or Tea? TEA!!!!! As I may have mentioned once or twice, I'm really not much of a coffee person. I love the smell, and every once in awhile I will have a flavored iced-coffee, but by and large coffee is not my beverage of choice. However, I am completely enamored with Tea, hot and iced, herbal, green, black, red, chai, you name it, Lynn+Tea = LOVE :)

U is for Unitarian Universalist: (no survey question for this one, since I did something very specific regarding this letter very recently) One of the goals on my 30 by 30 List was to attend a Service at a Unitarian Universalist Church. Just yesterday, I attended a service celebrating Beltane, led by my dear friend and fellow blogger Merlyn, at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Society in Auburn,  NY. I'm going to do a whole blog about this very soon, but for the moment, let me say it was a wonderful experience and I'm very, very glad I went :)

If you could take a Vacation anywhere in the United States right now, where would you go? Somewhere along the Coast of South Carolina or Georgia (Charleston, Hilton Head Island, Savannah, etc). That region of the South is so breathtakingly beautiful this time of year, Spring is in full bloom, and the hard-core heat hasn't taken hold yet....*wistful sigh*, my kingdom for the fresh but sultry smell of ocean air and springtime blossoms.......

What are you Wearing today? I'm wearing a black v-neck long-sleeved shirt, black jeggings, a lightweight silvery-purple duster-length cardigan, and I had on my silver high-heeled rain boots at work today. (OMG I LOVE THOSE BOOTS!!! There nice enough to wear out to dinner, but they're also waterproof, so I can splash through puddles with them :) I'm also wearing my watch, my engagement ring and my locket :)

Have you ever had X-Rays? Yes, I've had x-rays at the dentist many times. I just recently had a full set of x-rays done when I went for my initial consult at the Chiropractor (which is going very well and I've started to see improvement already:).

Have you ever practiced Yoga? OH YES!!! I belonged to a wonderful Yoga studio when I lived in Brockport, NY, The Beyond Center for Yoga and Pilates. I absolutely adore Yoga. I was so happy when I was practicing yoga, I slept better, I had more energy, fewer headaches, and I felt so much more peaceful. I still practice some yoga at home, but I haven't rejoined a studio since returning to CNY, but that's due to a lack of time and money, not a loss of interest. It's high-up on my list of things to do as soon as I can squeeze it in. If there's anyone reading this in the Central New York Area who can recommend a good yoga program, I am all ears :)

First geographical location you can think of that starts with *Z*: Zagreb, Croatia.


Well, there you have it, Darlings, The A-Z Blogging Challenge for April 2012. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog, it may take me while, but I promise to respond to all the comments that new readers and friends have sent me :) Be Well and Happy Blogging!!!


XOXO
Lynnie :)

P, Q, R

Hey Folks,

Sorry, about the lag in posting, this week just got away from me, and I haven't mastered writing posts ahead of time yet. So, to speed things along and get back to where I need to be, I'm gonna steal an idea from my dear friend Nubby and do a survey question for each letter :)


P: Do you have a signature perfume or scent that you wear? Actually, no, I don't. I tend to like light, crisp, clean scents (think light florals, clean laundry, ocean air, things like that). I've have several perfumes/essential oils that I wear on occasion, and while I like them all, I haven't found the *one* scent that I think suits me perfectly. Hopefully someday ;)


Q: Favorite Queen Song? *Fat Bottom Girls*, no contest :)


R: Last Restaurant you went to?  appeThaizing, a delicious Thai restaurant up on the S.U. (Syracuse University) Hill, last Sunday evening. Pan fried tofu with sweet chili sauce, Pad Thai and Thai Iced Coffee (OMG NOM!).


Whee:)
Lynnie

O is for *Over the Hump*

Gonna sneak in under the wire again tonight with a quickie post:

O is for *Over the Hump*

Today, I looked at the *To Do List* for our wedding and realized that we have accomplished more already than there is left to do. Put more simply, we are more than halfway done with the wedding planning :) Don't mistake me, there's a TON left to do, but it's actually all starting to come together, we're over the crest of the hill  and we're gathering momentum for the final push through to nuptial day :) Huzzah :) While I have loved being engaged, I cannot wait to get married :)

xoxo
Lynnie

M and N are for *Migraine, No Post*

Greetings All,

  I'm sorry I missed Saturday's post, I was in the Finger Lakes all day and ushering for a play at the Shakespeare Festival all evening. I had a whole combined *M* and *N* post planned for tonight, but sadly, I got hit with a migraine a few hours ago and can't be in front of the computer screen longer than a few minutes because the glare from the monitor wreaks havoc on my eyes/head. So, a post, other than this placeholder/disclaimer isn't going to happen tonight, I apologize. If I end up with extra time later on, I'll come back to *M* and *N*, but for now I'm going back to the couch with an ice pack, and hopefully I'll be back with a real post for *O* on the 'morrow :)

Night Night :)
Lynn

L is for *Love List*

Hey Ho :)

   I'm borrowing the concept for today's *L* posting from a phenomenal retired blogger, Sayward, from the now, sadly, discontinued Bonazi Aphrodite (*sniff!* Miss her so much!)

  Anyway, every Friday, as part of her Weekend Send-Off, she would post a *Love List*, or list of things that she was loving from that week and looking forward that weekend/month/season/whatever. She would leave the posts up all weekend so readers could add their own Love Lists in the comments :)

  I think this idea is pretty dang awesome, and I'm hoping to incorporate it in some form into my own blogging efforts on a fairly regular basis after the A-Z Challenge is over :)

SO!!!

The Love List for 4/13/12

- Getting a good chunk of uninterrupted reading time on Monday with my latest book, 'The Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova :)

- A friend who will drop everything and stay on the phone with me for two hours when I'm having a bad day, just to make sure I'm okay and let me vent

-Open Mic on Wednesday night with Merry Mischief and other old and new friends :)

- Cleaned out both closets, put away the winter coats and boots and reorganized the cupboards in the kitchen

- Leftover Easter Candy

- Drinking Sparkling water mixed with fruit or fruit juice out of fancy wineglasses

-Ushering this weekend for Love vs Time, the latest show at the Syracuse Shakespeare Festival

- Visiting a possible location for our Mini-Moon after our Wedding this September (big Honeymoon will be next year when Mikey has more vacation time)

Cheers!
Lynnie

K is for *Kinship*

Today feels a little bit like Christmas :)

    Okay, so there's no snow and no tree, and the gift I received today was not wrapped in pretty paper, but what I received today was so incredibly AWESOME that it really does evoke that same Christmas Morning excitement, plus a little more because this was pretty unexpected.

    Today I was given the gift of kinship or, more specifically, family history :) My Nana's brother, my Great Uncle Stanley, has become a genealogist in his retirement. He has been researching the family history on my mother's side for the better part of 20 years. (Side note, he will do this for other people as well, he's done quite a bit of  research into Mikey's family too). I always knew that he did this, and it would occasionally come up in conversation during family get-togethers and I found it very interesting, but, like so many other things you mean to do, it got lost in the shuffle of a busy life.

     A dear friend of mine has recently begun researching her own family history, and her efforts have rekindled my interest in my own. So, this past weekend over Easter, I talked more with my Uncle Stanley about our family's history, and he asked for my e-mail address and he said would send me everything he had. He sent me a series of e-mails today, and I'm sure there are more to come :)


YOWZA!!!!

I was completely unprepared for the volume and depth of the research my Uncle has done. He has traced my maternal lineage back SEVEN GENERATIONS!!!! My Mother's maiden name is Caufield, and he has traced the Caufield line back to my four times Great Grandfather Patrick Caufield who was born in County Louth, Ireland in 1787!!! My family is wicked Irish in that line, in addition to *Caufields*, there are *McKay's*, *Kelly's*, *Karney's*, *Driscolls* and a host of other Irish names.

Here is County Louth (it's a little ways North of Dublin)

Here is the County Louth Tartan :)

     It appears the Caufields were primarily a farming family and emigrated here in the late 1840's or early 1850"s, which coincides directly with the Great Famine/Potato Famine in Ireland that went on from 1845 to 1852. When they first arrived here, they settled in St. Lawrence County, and then a few generations later moved to Oswego County. I've only barely begun to penetrate all the family history that Uncle Stanley sent to me and I can't wait to read it in more depth and hopefully be able to add to it myself.


    I don't know if I can accurately describe how I feel right now.....the best word I can think of is "Connected". I am here because those people were here. I live because they lived, and even though they lived hundreds of years ago, there is still a part of them in me. That. Is. Amazing.


  I can see myself becoming massively addicted to Genealogy :)

  Love,
Lynn

J is for *Jokes*

Who doesn't love a good joke?


Here are a few of my favorites :)

Two of my faves from childhood:


"What do you get when you cross a chicken and a cow?

"Milk and Quackers!!!*


"How many inchworms does it take to make a foot?"

"None! Worms don't have feet!"


These two take a second to dawn on you:


'What's the difference between mashed potatoes and pea soup?"

"Anyone can mash potatoes!"


"What do you call four Spanish guys in quicksand?"

'Quattro Cinco" (if you don't speak Spanish you can skip this one)


One-Liners:

So, a Priest, a Minister and a Rabbi walk into a bar. The bartender takes one look at them and says "What is this, a joke?" (rim shot!)

A guy walks into a bar, the next guy ducks. (rim shot!)


And just for good measure, one naughty joke, from the incomparable Ms. Sophie Tucker ;)


"So, I'm standing in the kitchen when in walks my boyfriend Ernie, and he says to me "Soph, if you could learn how to cook we could fire the chef". I turned to him and said 'Ernie, if you could learn how to f*%k we could fire the chauffeur!"



Don't know who it was that said that laughter is the best medicine, but they were so incredibly right ;)

Got a favorite joke? Lay it on me :)
(Keep it reasonably clean and respectful please)

xoxo
Lynnie