A Road Less Taken by Happy Couples

My high school literature teacher was probably one of my favorite and best teachers I've ever had... Though, I can honestly say that all my high school teachers were phenomenal (as well as my college psychology professor)...
My literature teacher had us do many projects regarding reading and poetry and she would introduce an author to us and tell us all about the history of that person... Where he or she grew up, what kind of family he or she had, etc... and I found myself (day) dreaming of these writers as she introduced them to me. Many lived such interesting lives. Many of them had sad endings. Most of them were recognized posthumously (a word I learned from the same teacher) as a good writer!

That seems to happen a lot with writers and artists! They're no good until their dead! Maybe it's a supply and demand issue... ? ...

Anyways, by learning about these people, I learned to love their work because I felt so attached to them personally that I could understand what they were saying.
There have been many writers whose talent is obvious, and works are adored... but I find absolutely intriguing because I feel like I know them.
Emily Dickinson was so eccentric and wouldn't even come out of her room when she was older! She'd peer out through the door being just slightly cracked open to see people. People would converse with her basically by correspondence! After she died, she had hundreds upon hundreds of poems written and stashed in her closet! Strange... yet it makes the oddity of her writing make so much more sense!
Then, there is Edgar Allan Poe, a creepy, dark-hearted fellow who was poor and strange. He married his cousin. He disappeared for 5 days, showed up somewhere that 5 days later and died alone. His works, however brilliant, were tainted with dark and odd characters, strange circumstances, and tales not any normal human would think up, "Quoth the Raven"... Need I say more?

So I was thinking about poetry today and my favorite authors and I started thinking back to a poem that I have loved since I heard it in that high school literature class. It was written by one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost and it's called:
"The Road Not Taken"

Here it is:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost had much despair in his life, but he seemed to always reach for the good. I like him. I respect him. I find so much soul in his poetry.

However... My most favorite poet is actually a pair of poets... The Brownings.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning has one of the most simple and sweet poems that I adore... It's called, "How Do I Love Thee" and it has always been a favorite of mine!
Are you ready for it?


How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

That's a beautiful poem... but to understand that Elizabeth Browning was about as much in love with her husband as he was in love with her makes it all the better! He would often write love poems back to her - just as sweet! They were a perfect match and a beautiful happy couple... which; I think, makes the poem all the more powerful!

Tonight I shall go to sleep and dream of roads less taken by happy couples.

Good night!

Dack Mum <3

MY Royal Wedding...

Well, I did it... I got up at 4am to watch the "Royal Wedding" and I'd have to say that my wedding was certainly very VERY comparable. "How?" You may ask... well, let me explain.

The Royal Wedding had a prince... who is balding... still, many would probably consider him "handsome"... probably because they only see dollar signs in place of the missing hair.
MY wedding... also had a prince... who is NOT balding and is truly handsome both inside and out. Hahahaha -- by the way, no dollar signs blinding my view, either. :)

The Royal Wedding had a bunch of people from far away lands come to watch the big event...
Amazing! So did MY wedding! We were so blessed to have many of Josh's family members travel all the way from Australia (and many friends travel from other states --- such as California, [you know who you are] and the East Coast).

The Royal Wedding had a bride who wore a beautiful dress...
Go figure!! I was a bride... and I'd have to say, I liked my dress more! :)

The Royal Wedding had a bride who married an Englishman...
Lovely... I did as well!! English... and Australian (of course, he doesn't often claim he's English).
    Hahahaha! Except for the time we were on our first date and I said I always wanted to date and Englishman... and his reply was, "well, I'm as English as they come!" He must have really liked me to admit that! :)

The Royal Wedding took forever just to get the bride to the church!!!
Interestingly enough... it seemed to take forever just to get married! I was engaged a year! Talk about a long time before getting to the church! Sheesh!

The Royal Wedding was broadcast internationally over the Internet (which is how I viewed it)...
Once again - my wedding was as well (mostly to people in England and Australia)!! Incredible!

The Royal Wedding had the groom's brother as the "best man"
I guess that's pretty common... cause at MY wedding... My Prince had his brother as the best man!

The Royal Wedding probably cost a LOT of money... most likely paid for by the parents...
Funny that! Mine too!!!

The Royal Wedding had music played by beautiful violinists and musicians.
Again, I could not have been blessed with better music, played (and sung) by dear friends.

Wow... Methinks I had a pretty Royal Wedding! :)

There were, however, a few differences...

The Royal Wedding had Elton John singing Hymns...
My wedding... did not.
Sorry, I can't help but crack up laughing at just the idea of him singing "Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah"!!! (I was watching though, he didn't know the words AT ALL).

Number two... I gave my husband a ring at the actual event. Enough said.
The Royal Wedding had the Abby Bells chiming like crazy! Like my mother-in-law said on Facebook... what were we thinking to leave that out!? So, though this is a difference, I think (had we thought of it) we would have found a way to get those bells ringing!!! :)

The Royal Wedding had horse drawn carriages taking them from one place to another...
Again, we would have had the same, really... but in the end of December - that just isn't an option.

The Royal Wedding had a big finishing touch by having the Bride and Groom wave on a balcony to over a million on-lookers...
We, however, ducked out quietly... without saying goodbye to any one of our many guests.

I'm sure there are a few other differences, but I think the similarities are numerous enough that I can honestly claim that I had my own Royal Wedding... and that is what I shall believe... one thing I know for sure... Royal Wedding or not... I feel like a Queen with the husband I have!

A Tip on Tipping...

Let me just inform the world that servants at a restaurant get paid $2.33 an hour. Yes, that's legal...

Tips are waitresses livelihood.

If you decide to eat a whole bunch of food, make your server run to the kitchen over a million times, and use up table space for more than 3 grueling hours while you chit-chat to your girlfriends who you haven't seen for 10 years...

Please... Please remember that if you had a great server... a $3.00 tip is an insult. No matter how much you tell her, "you were the best waitress we've ever had," she won't think you mean it if you leave a lousy tip.

In fact, 10% is NOT considered a "good" tip, if you had great service...

My advice...
Bad service... Like really bad... Let her know you're unhappy so she can fix whatever is wrong. If she doesn't care, talk to her manager.
Good service... at least 15%.
Great service... Definitely more than 20%... You decide... but make her believe you!

Maybe you think I'm outrageous in my tipping scale, but since becoming a server... I now appreciate them far more!!! I tip WAY better now, too!!

Serving can be good money if you're in the right restaurant and you've got the right personality... but it really comes down to how gracious, "the master" wants to be to his "servant."

The End.

Dack Mum <3

Royal Wedding

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

Okay, I'm not going to lie. I totally and completely wish I was in London to watch the "Royal Wedding." I have always been a fan of England (not always a fan of some members of the royal family), but certainly interested in the political differences between England and the U.S. --- Anyways, I was sitting in a hair salon in Naples, FL about two weeks ago and its 'sister salon' is actually in London... so I was able to read London tabloids that were sent to Naples, FL. Yes, I understand, I could have looked it up online.
Anyways, I got into an article about the royal family and the wedding coming up... and I truly want to see it. First, I think it will be interesting. Second, I have always had an obsession with England.
So, with those two reasons, I find it good enough to want to watch it. Unfortunately, we don't have tv.

But! I found out they're going to stream it online!!! Sweet!

Yes. I will be watching it.

When is it again?

Today Is The Day!

I am excited to begin this new blog. I have been a blogger in times past, but I haven't been real good about it as of late. UNTIL NOW! I suppose, there are just too many things bottled up in my brain that I would be better off posting... so I don't have to keep them stored (they take up too much space).
Thus, here I am!

I am DACK MUM and I'm happy to be blogging once again!

Now, I was thinking about what magnificent thing I was going to grab from my mental capacity and delight my readers with today... and then it struck me.

I have no readers.
So, today's post really is inconsequential in every possible way.
That's why I've decided to post about one particular thing on my mind at this moment.

Nutella.

I was not brought up in Nutella ways. You know, as a child, being spoiled with nutella on toast in the morning. However, whoever invented the idea of chocolate spread... is absolutely genius. I was dipping my son's animal crackers in them today (...he was not eating them... I was --- though, he was watching me, and licking his lips... but eating his ham sandwich instead... sorry, rabbit trail...) and I got thinking... I should blog about how much I love Nutella! Which, believe it or not. Nutella, and how much I adore its chocolaty goodness, inspired me to blog again. If you have never tried it... you are missing out. I mean, really, really missing out. It's in most grocery stores near the peanut butter section usually.
Pop a piece of toast in the toaster, throw some butter on it (when it's out of the toaster), and spread on a thick, gooey layer of Nutella... Amazing. Honestly, delicious.
Is it possible to need a 12-step program to keep away from this stuff? I think so.

That is all I have to say for the time being.
Maybe once I have gained a reader or two... or possibly a fellow Nutella addict, I will expound on my love of Nutella.
Since nobody is reading it anyway... I'm just going to leave it there.

Have a nice day (if you're out there).
Signing off...
Dack Mum <3