Favorite Five: March

March certainly has been a packed month, and always seems like such a transitional time of year.  This being the last day of the month, I thought I'd do a little recap of my favorite five things about the past 31 days.

1. BIRTHDAYS! - Yep, March has a LOT of them from my perspective (including my own).  I think there has been one for almost every day this month; or at least every other day.  It may entail getting another year older, but this, of course, opens up a lot of opportunity for cake and parties - two of my favorite things.  Even more importantly, it provides an extra reason to reach out to some of the folks that are most important to us and show them just how much we appreciate them.  Though I am under oath to keep most of my party pictures private, you can catch a few birthday action shots in my 'Springing Forward' piece.

2. SPRING - Though it may not be all flowers and sunshine yet in your neck of the woods (it was sleeting at my humble abode yesterday, suck), spring is definitely here -- at least according to the calendar it is.  Though there have been some 'sneak previews' of the warm weather speckled throughout the month already, just knowing that there is more on the way helps lift my spirits and raise my hopes just that much more.

3. NEW BLOGS - Since I'm still kind of new to this myself, I am thoroughly enjoying discovering and learning from a bunch of new blogs.  It can be kind of like finding a nice piece of candy during an otherwise blah day.  It really is amazing how inspiring, supportive, exciting, and slightly indulgent it is to step outside of your own world and see into someone else's through their eyes - talk about gaining perspective!  I feel like this will not only help me improve my own blog, but also enrich my life in a new and interesting way.  It has also been super exciting this month to have inspired a new blogger  and dear friend to take up the type and find her online voice.  If you haven't already visited her blog through the link on my page, take a second to jump on over to 'Napolejen' and show her some support in her new undertaking!      

4. WYE OAK - There is some music that you listen to when and because it fits your fleeting fancies, and there is some music that is your meat and potato music.  For me, this is a straight serving of some of the choicest cuts of meat and creamiest potatoes I've heard in a little while.  Maybe it's because I'm a so-called 'child of the nineties', but this entire album makes me feel like I'm wrapped in a warm, comfortable blanket.  Listening to the sounds and the vocals affect me almost like a wonderfully distinctive scent from somewhere in the past that hasn't been experienced for a while, and then when it is, you're right back to remembering everything about it that you've been missing.  That doesn't happen very often, and I wouldn't necessarily want it to, but when it does it makes for something amazing.  


Here's a clip of the title track off of the album.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

5. VCU BASKETBALL, FINAL FOUR BABY! - Admittedly, I am not really a sports fan.  In fact, I have never really been a sports fan.  I went to a university that doesn't even have a football team (and most students prided themselves on that), and where not only was school spirit underwhelming; it was virtually nonexistent.  Now all of a sudden, I have found myself not only watching a game, but jumping up out of my seat and yelling at the tv with more school spirit than I think I've had in my entire life.  Even more, the ENTIRE CITY is energetically rallying behind the players with all of their newly found VCU school spirit and rooting for this team that comes from what was traditionally an art school.  (I never would have thought I would see anything like the clip below from the 'Anti-University').  The critics said they couldn't do it, the commentators say they shouldn't be anywhere near where they are now, and quite honestly I'm not sure how many alumni actually cared about any of it ... until now.   And THAT my dear friends, is why VCU, my alma mater, making it to the Final Four this coming Saturday has been one of my favorite things this month.  This underestimated team has not only worked to prove themselves to their school (which may have been the largest feat), they have proven 'the impossible' to the world, and have somehow inspired me to know not only what time they are playing on Saturday (6:09pm against Butler), but to actually purchase a school shirt.  I don't think I even had one of those once upon a time when I was a student.  I honestly can't think of anything this month that has been more personally inspiring than that, and I LOVE it!  GO RAMS!!