What I've been up to lately...

Week by Week - slide show

Yep, I've got a bun in the proverbial oven, y'all. Now that I'm in my 3rd trimester, the cat is pretty much out of the bag because let's face it, these days it's looking more like I've swallowed a bowling ball than just had a big lunch.  So that (mostly) explains my 5 month THC hiatus...I've just been working on a very big project, completion due around January 20th.  

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, I'm one of those people who loves their birthday and today is mine.  I just love birthdays in general though, and celebrating them.  There could be some stranger in a restaurant, and while the wait staff sings their birthday song, I'll be singing and clapping right along with them. And then there's the cake.  Mmm...cake.

I just strongly believe that everyone should get very special treatment for their birthday and I love that there are companies out there who feel the same way. I figured I share some of the birthday deals I've received this month, so others can get the birthday props they deserve, too:

25% off at Amaryllis Jewelry

10% back in rewards at Office Depot

Double A+ rewards from Airtran

Saving on booking vacations at Delta Vacations

FREE gift from Sephora

FREE drink from Dunkin Donuts

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Baltimore

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Raleigh

10% off any products and services from Zina's Day Spa

There's also a much more comprehensive list of birthday deals here.  Evidently I could eat for free all day today by hitting up Denny's, Fuddruckers, Baskin Robbins, and Famous Dave's but I think I'll pass as I would like to be around to celebrate my next birthday, too.

What is a Tar Heel?

I have noticed since moving away from the old North state, I get this question a lot, especially since I am found routinely cheering for and calling myself a Tar Heel.  Plus there are a lot of ignorant Maryland fans in these parts (I kid!...I mostly kid!).

When you grow up hearing the term Tar Heel practically from the womb, you don't really question it too much, rather you respect and adore it, nay identify yourself with it.  However if I take a step back and try really hard to imagine what it must be like hearing the term for the first time with no context, I suppose I can understand how it may seem odd.

So here it is...the answer to the question "What is a Tar Heel", from the University of North Carolina website:
 

Our nickname, which also applies to North Carolina citizens, has at least two possible origins. One story hails back to the Revolutionary War and the troops of British General Cornwallis. After fording a river in eastern North Carolina, the British troops discovered their feet covered with tar, a product of North Carolina’s abundant pine trees and one of the state’s most important exports at the time. Some say the clever North Carolinians dumped it in the river to slow down the invading army. The British were said to have observed that if you waded in North Carolina rivers, you would get tar on your heels.

I could have sworn I had heard another story, something about the North Carolina troops being so brave, they stood their ground as if their feet were stuck in tar.  I imagine (and often tell the story with) the opposing general exclaiming: "There must be tar in them there heels!" 

There you go, clear as tar, ahem mud, right?

See also:

I.e., me

New Year, New Blog

With all the blogs I find myself reading now in all that time that has been freed up since I am no long planning a wedding, I thought it was only right and fair to contribute my own musings, projects, anecdotes, random thoughts and anything else someone might be able to kill some time while reading.  I like to give back...

So here we go, as with many projects I start, I hope this one doesn't turn out abandoned, in the corner, with the unpainted side facing the wall in hopes that no one notices it.

Happy 2012 y'all!