Miles of (Mostly) Irish Smiles

March 17, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

Today at the library where I work, a patron read my name tag and then asked if I’d been brought in for St. Patrick’s day.

Yup.

All Coleens must pass a rigorous mascot training. It’s not enough to have the Gaelic name or the Irish heritage.

There’s tons of other factors. Other (mostly) Irish things about me that are maybe not so obvious.

I eat St. Patty’s Day themed treats.

(Although, I also do the same for most other holidays.)

I doodle Shamrocks.

I make friends with mules.

Now, I don’t think Hamilton (of Meadow Farm) is actually Irish, but he’s silly and stubborn. And silly and stubborn are traits that are very dominant in my Irish family.

So… let’s call Hamilton mostly Irish.

I married this guy. He’s not Irish either, but we met on St. Patrick’s day 25 years ago.

So again, mostly Irish (especially when you factor in that he’s also stubborn and silly).

So many factors. It’s not easy being green.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? What is Irish (or mostly Irish) in your life?

Wishing you miles of smiles!

A Toast to Fun, Food and Men in Skirts

November 19, 2012 | Coleen Patrick

In the spirit of holiday, food and fun, I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving week via photos from the local Celtic festival.

First, a toast to FUN.

And to YUMMY food.

And Music!

To dancing.

To hanging out and playing games.

And to dressing in your holiday best.

And last but not least, to tradition!

I don’t remember my Irish grandmothers mentioning this Celtic delicacy, but I leave you with–

Ye Olde Fried Oreo .

Enjoy yourselves this week! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to stop by. Huge heaps of gratitude. 🙂

What are you thankful for this week? Do you have a favorite festival food?

On Luck and My Dorky Teenage Optimism

March 15, 2012 | Coleen Patrick

According to my first diary, this Saturday is Rob Lowe’s birthday.

Apparently on March 17, 1984, I had a lunch of lamb stew and then spent an afternoon flying a kite and swapping scratch and sniff stickers with my sister. Then later I got together with Rob.

Um, via collage.

When it came to crushes and boys I put a lot of emphasis on luck and wishing and okay occasionally praying to certain patron saints in the name of love. I probably would’ve spent my entire St. Patrick’s Day in a clover patch waiting for the Great Four Leaf Clover to arrive if I thought it would help my case.

Yes, St. Patrick’s Day was extra special and extra lucky. It was the one day a year that I owned my freckles and my complete inability to tan. But when I was a young teenager it offered me something even more powerful.

Optimism.

Okay so maybe my diary entries portray me as kind of clueless (and dork-tastic, check out this post if you’re not quite sure), but there’s something to be said for a little positive thinking.

Because gluing your picture alongside your crush (or combing a clover patch) leaves you open for opportunity.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Like on March 17, 1990.

Preparation: I curled my hair and put on something green.

Opportunity: A frat house St. Patrick’s Day party.

The luck: I met my husband.

No glue or scissors needed

Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

What are your thoughts on luck?

Gettin’ Lucky

November 14, 2011 | Coleen Patrick

Last week I got a Tweet telling me I won another book, which brought my book winning total in the last couple of months to seven.

My husband told me it was time for me to play the lottery, because apparently I was experiencing a lucky streak.

“Luck affects everything; let your hook always be cast; in the stream where you least expect it, there will be a fish.” -Ovid

So, luck is success born out of chance, not just something indigenous to the Irish.

IRELAND, LAND OF THE LUCKY.

Although my father in law once handed me cash just because I was standing next to him in a casino when he won. He said his good fortune was due to my presence ie,“luck of the Irish.”

Still I may need to rethink the “I’m Irish” heading on my next batch of queries.

But luck is more than just a matter of chance. In fact I think the real clue to luck in Ovid’s quote is: Let your hook always be cast.

Because luck usually requires some effort.

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
Thomas Jefferson

Seven books didn’t just fall out of the ether. There was a little work–I entered contests.

Although I did get one of the books from the very generous author Barry Lyga, simply because I’m a blogger.

Or Irish (I’m kidding, Barry Lyga is not profiling Irish writers).

No, the real reason Barry sent me a book was because I saw one of his Tweets that read something along the lines of Free books to bloggers!

So while “art depends on luck and talent,” as Francis Ford Coppola once said. It also requires effort like Thomas Jefferson so wisely put.

Like say spending some time in a casino, sidling up next to the Black Jack table wearing my VIP badge, Very Irish Person.

Or, entering that Breaking Dawn premiere contest.

Maybe. But I do know that I can’t win if I don’t try.

I’ve got to put in some effort if I want to see Taylor Lautner -–uh, I mean the older actor who plays Bella’s father.

A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck. –James A. Garfield

Do you think some people are just lucky in life?

Drop me a comment below and you could win a SIGNED copy of Barry Lyga’s GOTH GIRL RISING (result determined by random, or is it?)

***Congrats to Karen McFarland who won last week’s giveaway of WHAT WOULD MY CELLPHONE DO?***