Taxes

Taxes.

This one single word is an instant stress-bringer.

Every office job I had, working on the taxes, whether gathering the information to be used in the preparation, or actually filling out forms, was always a little bit scary. Maybe it's because there's so much on the line. If you make a mistake, it could be very problematic later on. I did have two stints working at H & R Block, and that helped me see it all in black and white, understanding how the whole system works. But still, when it's MY taxes, it's personal.

So. We're done. For one more year, I can breathe until it's time to do it again. Did I remember all the things to claim? Do I have this receipt, that bill, that form? Can I claim this thing this year? Ugh.

Not one of my favorite activities. Not at all.

Spring is Here!

It seems, Spring has come early this year. Partly, because "they", the decision-making powers that be, moved Daylight Savings Time up so that it's earlier than ever, and partly because Easter was the earliest in something-like 93 years (or so I've been told.) So, we had D.S.T. , quickly followed by Easter, with St. Patty's Day sandwiched in between. And, now, we're off and runnin'...

Little Sir and I were treated to a visit to the Aquarium in Riverhead on Saturday. It was totally unexpected, and totally delightful. Got a text with the invitation, and who could pass that up? (Thank you, thank you, again, "B"!) So, right after my morning lessons, I picked him up and met our friend there. They were having a "penguin egg" hunt, and there were lots of little kids there with their families. The lovely weather made seeing the outside exhibits, penguins, sea lions and seals, all the more pleasurable. It was Little Sir's second visit there (it is pricey), and last time he was petrified of the sharks. This time, that exhibit was the first one he wanted to see! There is a big maturity-level difference between 3 and 4-years-old, I guess, in the fear-factor area. It was almost exactly a year ago that we went for the first time, with my dad.

Being at the Aquarium brought back all those old feelings from childhood and adolescence. I had so wanted to be a marine biologist and work with someone like Jacques Cousteau, diving in all those wonderful places, like the Great Barrier Reef. Ah yes. But the Federal funding had been cut, and the programs were gone by the time I got to college-choice time...and so...on to other options...and life changes, taking different paths. One always wonders what life would be like if one had taken an alternate path. Would I be a marine biologist, having dived all over the world (without a weight problem!), or would I have been unemployed within my field eternally after graduation with a useless degree and lots of loans? So, instead, I started out a writing major, taking a scholarship, music minor. Later flip-flopped that. On to other degrees in other disciplines.

All of these experiences shape our lives, making a many-faceted stone. Who knew, all those years ago, when all I wanted to do was swim with dolphins, and explore the depths of various seas, and learn and learn and learn about different species of animal and plant life, that I would one day end up a music teacher with TESOL certification, headed to speak at the international TESOL convention in 2 weeks? Life's crazy sometimes, huh?

March 17th

March 17th is very special to me. Yes, it is St. Patty's Day, and yes, I have an Irish heritage (1/4 Irish,) and yes, I am partial to green, and Celtic music makes my blood tingle...
but the best part about March 17th is that that's the day my Dahlink Dawtah was born. My little girl. Not so little any more...she's taller than me! She takes after my two grandmothers, who were both taller than their husbands. She is beautiful, both inside and out, and smart and talented and sweet and generous and has a heart of gold, truer than any at the end of the rainbow.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart...I love you!