It's Springtime!

Happy Monday and Happy Easter Week, and spring break! It's just happy, happy, happy! 

It's springtime for sure with flowers and trees in full bloom, it's super pretty but on the flip side, could be making you suffer if you have allergies. I know I had a few sneezy days. It's crazy that we are suffering our 4th year of a horrible drought and the east coast is still getting crazy rain and snow. With all the intelligence and technology we have, how come we can share our sunshine and flowers and they can't water all of our agriculture with their over-abundance of the wet stuff? 

Speaking of the east coast and springtime, one of these days I will get to Washington DC to see the cherry blossom trees. The first Japanese cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC were planted on March 27, 1912. They were planted by First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda the wife of the Japanese ambassador. Over 3,000 trees were delivered the day before as a gift from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki  with the intent of symbolizing

and honoring the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan. 

The delivery was a very coordinated effort several years in the making, and this was actually the second and only successful delivery. The first go-around happened in 1910, but the shipment of trees was unfortunately diseased and infested with bugs. Thankfully the 1912 shipment was perfect, and those cherry blossom trees still remain today. Friends of mine who have been while they are in bloom say it is a sight to behold, it's on my bucket list for sure.

What are your favorite springtime and Easter memories? Do you make Easter like Christmas with lots of gifts or is it more traditional with coloring eggs, a basket with some candy and a chocolate bunny and Easter dinner? We love to color eggs and Mason lives for an egg hunt. We also do an Easter basket with some candy and a small toy or two (fits in basket) but Dave lives for Easter dinner - rack of lam (that only he likes), ham (because only Dave likes lamb), a vegetable and the traditional lamb cake. I have several Easter memories through the years, Easter dresses and black patent leather shoes when I was little, then "Easter in the Woods" with a longtime boyfriends family - lots of fun for both kids and adults, and then the fun I've created for my family, but through all the years, Easter has never been about lots of material gifts.

Have a lovely spring break and Easter, I know we will!