Happy Lunar New Year A Vlog

Today I decide to make a vlog and link up with Ashten for Vlog Like a Boss.

 

I am not sure why I thought vlogging would take less time than actually blogging, I was wrong.  Anyway here is me explaining the greatness that is Lunar New Year, or as most people call it Chinese New Year.

Lunar New Year Vlog from Erica Jacquline on Vimeo.

 Here are some silly pictures of me with the words broken down in English transliterations so you too can be as fluent as I am in Mandarin.

Say it all together and you have "Give me your money!"

Happy New Year! and my the Seahawks win the Superbowl, because is my new favorite human being in the world.

My Super Important Life Goals

I have been thinking a lot about goals lately and where I would like to be in five months, a year, five years, and that is it, thinking beyond five years is too much for me to handle.  While I have very serious goals in my life for my future and my career and such I do not always share them out loud.  I get afraid that they are too lofty and they will sound ridiculous and I will be too sad if I do not achieve them and too many people know that.

So instead of sharing the goals that are totally meaningful today I want to share some goals that are less meaningful but just as serious.

Have a blue verified button on my Twitter

In case you are wondering being verified on Twitter happens when you are famous or have been on Dancing With The Stars.  It is the little blue circle with the whit check mark on the users Twitter account.   Let's look at The White House twitter account.  They have the check mark, you can rest assured that the tweets from this account actually come from The White House, not President Obama, but the house itself.  How cool is that?

 

Side note - One of my kidding, but secretly for real dreams is to be the First Lady one day. I know I could say I want to be President, but have you seen what that job has done to Barak Obama's hair?  No thank you.  I really think it would be amazing to be First Lady though.

You have no idea how much I want this.  I am pretty sure that my plan of being on The Bachelor will get me there though.  Come on ABC what's a girl gotta do?

Start a hashtag movement

I really really want to be the person behind a hashtag phenomenon.  If only I fought of #throwbackthursday

So here are some hashtags I am attempting to make happen and you should join in and help me take over instagram.

#SeriouslySaturday

Seriously Saturday can be a lot of things. You can take a serious picture the one below:

Or you can take a picture of something that is seriously _________________________.

 

This looks like a good point to tell you to follow me on instagram.  I promise I try to post things other then Penny.

Have a successful Link Up!

I had a feature on my blog before Christmas time called Sunday Funday, which you should read about.  Essential I had an Essie nail polish which is the perfect shade of pink orange.



I liked the name and then decided to make a post out of it.  Sunday Funday is a quick post on a Sunday linking to a video, website, meme, e-card, vlog, funny story, other blog post, etc. that makes you laugh or makes your day a little brighter.

I would love to open this up to anyone who is interested in sharing what makes them laugh over the weekend.  So this Sunday please feel free to link your Sunday Funday post here.  All you should do is follow me,  add your link so I can follow you back, and slap this button on your post so others can join the fun.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.ericajacquline.com" title="Erica Jacquline"><img src="http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q738/ericajt/6b67a7f3-dde7-40e8-a010-3ed926c1720f_zpsd0e87c0a.png?t=1391056407" alt="Erica Jacquline" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I would love to open this up to co-host options as well.  If you are interested in co-hosting Sunday Funday in the near future please send me an email, ericajacquline@gmail.com or comment below and we can get it going.

Have a billion followers

Just kidding, but how cool would that be man!  In case you really want to take that one on you can find all my social media links below.

Thanks for putting up with my delusions of grandeur for today.  Do you have any fun/ridiculous dreams when it comes to social media?

Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest

I Ruined A Child's Life

So I am pretty sure I (Penny) ruined a child's life today.  I mean this could really haunt him for the rest of his life and I feel terrible.

This morning I was took Penny out to do her business. She hates it when people walk by when she is pooping. I think she has some performance anxiety or something.  Anyway we were outside, Penny just pooped, I was picking it up with a bag my neighbors leave their house to go to school.

 

Penny saw them and decided that she had to become best friends with the boy.  The boy is probably 12 years old, wants to be on the basketball team, and is nice to his mom.

Penny took off so fast that I lost my grip on the leash and ran right for the boy.  He was holding a box and couldn't do anything about it.  I ran after her and tried to get a hold of her.  Her leash got tangled in the boy's legs and it was all one mess.  I finally got her free from the sweet child and noticed he had something on his leg.  I assumed it was dirt and just walked away.

I went to my house with Penny and realized I had the bag of poop in my hand and it was not tied off.  I looked at it and realized that it was not dirt on the poor boy's leg, it was poop!

I then had a whole vision of what that boy's day, year, and life were going to be like.  I am sure some nicknames like Poopy Peter, Smelly Smith, and Stinky Stanley are in his future.  Really this kid could have major social issues for the rest of his life and it is all my fault.

I saw him playing basketball after school and I wanted to ask him how his day went and tell him it would all be OK.  But I was too shy because I was probably the person who ruined his life and will cause him to never be married and live with his parents for the rest of his life.

So Stinky Stanley if you for some reason read this blog, I am sorry.  I hope my dog's poop did not ruin your life.  If she did I will be looking for a letter from you in a few years from Iceland.

Please forgive me!

Erica (and Penny, I mean it is really her fault!)

I'm Sorry Walt Whitman

Today marks the one year anniversary since I returned to the land of the blogging!  It is what I consider my blogiversery and I am so grateful for anyone who reads and for the new connections I have around the world due to blogging. Even though today comes with a big milestone it also comes with some news.  Today I am bidding adieu to So Much Sunshine.  No no, not the whole blog thing just to the title of my blog.  I really loved the title of my blog and why I used it.  I love the quote from Walt Whitman that says "Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch."  A friend told me that she thought it was a good quote for me and it made me so happy when she said that.  I also love American Literature and taught it for a few years so it felt like the right title for me and my blog.Unfortunately, I am not the only person in the world with a blog who liked the title.  While looking around the internet and reading some blogs I came across another blog that had based their whole theme around that quote, the second half of the quote, and in many ways reflected my words and my work.  Similar posts were posted weeks after my original was posted and it all felt extremely creepy.  I do not want to say who it is or go and make this person feel bad.  I hope it is a huge coincidence.  My first reaction was to over react and considered leaving blogging altogether.  I really take internet safety very seriously and if someone was using my blog for their inspiration I was worried. My next thought was that I should be flattered, because of that saying giving plagiarizers the best out when they get caught, "copying is the highest form of flattery."I then felt kind of bad about using the name and quote for myself.  I mean when I think about it I sort of stole it from my boy Walt.  I did not come up with something creative or novel.  Rather I took his words and tried to make it my own.  Which I never really liked and the English teacher in me did not like it either.  I mean Walt wrote during the mid 1800s.  He wrote during the Civil War and during Transcendentalism.  the rugged individual was highly important to what made an American. It seems to me that people were far more "with the words" than we are now.  So then it was clear I had to revamp my blog and come up with something creative that no one could steal, or if the did steal it, it would be a clear violation of everything good in the world.  Today I sat around and tried to brainstorm some great new blog titles and themes.  I was going to go with Grown Sexy, but Catherine beat that one to death with her wedding.  And then I realized what I needed to do.  I asked myself WWJPD?  What Would John Proctor Do?  Don't know who John Proctor is?  Well he is the hero (?) anti-hero (?) main character of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  John Proctor refused to sign his name to a document admitting to being a witch because his name was all he had.  If he signed the paper his name, his reputation would forever forward be a lie.  So John P. what do I have that no one can take away from me?  My Name.  Good Lord I am such a nerd.  Thank you for putting up with this! Here is the great thing my name is somewhat unique, well my middle name is.  My grandfather's name was Jack and my mom was then going to have his name for her middle name if she was a boy.  Well she was a girl so they gave her the middle name Jacqueline.  The only problem is they spelled her name wrong on her birth certificate so it is Jacquline.  My mom then kept the tradition with my middle name.  I love my middle name and the little bit of family tradition that comes with it. So Welcome to Erica Jacquline, don't even try to copy it, ya posers!  I actually want to thank the person that had a similar blog to mine for pushing me to think of something new.  I really think that this could be the beginning of something even better for me and my blog and I am excited to see what the future holds. Also bear with me as I need to redesign and realign all my social media.  I am in the process of it all, but dang it I am not a website designer, I am waiting for the lovely Sarah to finish making other blogs pretty!Welcome to Erica Jacquline: simple, classic, and one of a kind…. me!

6 Things That Happened This Weekend

Where did the weekend go?  Is it just me or was this weekend way way way too fast?  I could have used like 15 more days before going back to work.

This weekend was a big one for some folks in the world, and I was one of them.

First, The Grammy's happened.

Congrats to the night's biggest winners Steve Martin and Edie Brickell for winning  Best American Roots Song: “Love Has Come For You."  I always hate that you have to watch the whole show just to find out who won this extremely well-known category!

PS  - yes that is comedian Steve Martin!  If you want a complete list of all the awards Ryan Lewis and Macklemore won you can click here.

PSS- It looks like Katy Perry has become the Susan Lucci of the Grammys.  Keep your chin up Katy, maybe in 20 years Macklemore will stop singing songs about looking incredible in your grandpa's clothes and your tunes will be appreciated.

Second, Sean and Catherine had sex.  Oh wait, I mean they got married.



It was just hard to tell what I was supposed to be watching and excited for because of all the reminders that they were going to have sex for the first time.  By the way they finally are having sex!  Um, can I just say that if I were going to be getting married on TV I would NOT want all the focus to be on my having sex for the first time.  #boundaries.



Third, the Ducks thrashed the Kings in the Stadium Series 3-0.  I thought that the game would be a mess because it was outside in Southern California.  I mean it was 75 degrees during the day and I was worried there would be no ice. But the game went on and apparently the ice didm't totally melt.

I watched the game from a restaurant with a bunch of other hockey fans and I think I had a better seat from the bar than I would if I had tickets for the game (even though I actually wanted to be at the game).  The Ducks shutout the Kings and I couldn't have been happier!

 

Fourth, I went on another date with the guy from this post and he fell asleep at the table.  He wasn't in REM sleep or anything, but homie could not stop yawning!  I was baffled.  I am quite the catch and I am pretty sure it would be really hard to fall asleep while in conversation with me!  I would have let it go but it is the second time it happened!  I am telling you He fell asleep on our first date too.  Fall asleep on a date shame on you.  Fall asleep on a date twice shame on me.

Fifth, It appears I have a soul mate that I did not meet.  I went with a friend to get pedicures this weekend and the man on the other side of her apparently was just like me.  We both get pedicures, love Sherlock, and think vow renewal ceremonies are a desperate attempt to salvage a marriage.  I had no idea of all the things that connected us until later that day.  My friend was a terrible wing person!  So if you read this blog let me know.  All I am looking for is someone who is nice, clean and can stay awake on a date.

Sixth, Penny went to the dog park and showed the world she is a stuck up little dog.  I am telling you she will not play with the riffraff of the world!  If you weigh less than 40 pounds you are no good for her.  I apologize for anyone whose feelings this girl has hurt and I assure you we are working on it.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Penny's i know I am better than you face.[/caption]

How was your weekend?  What exciting things happened to you or better yet what boring things happened that would have made a date fall asleep at the table?

Sister Act 2 Lied To Me

Yesterday I stayed home sick.  There is something in the air around here and it seems like everyone is sick with something.  I didn't do much yesterday.  In fact I slept in, watched a million episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker, the Duck vs. Kings game, and stumbled upon a gem from my childhood Sister Act 2. 



I do not know if you were as cool as me, but Sister Act 2 was one of my top five movies when I was a wee little lass.  I never saw Sister Act, but that didn't matter.  I would watch this movie again and again.  I had the soundtrack 30 times a day and sing the songs until I was as good as Lauren Hill, or so I thought.

My love for this movie happened during a formative time in my life when I was 9 years old.  At that point I thought I was a little gansta child and this movie fed my wanna be bad girl ways.

I realized as I watched the movie today that I was lied to in many ways that a little girl can not really realize until she grows up and knows a little bit more about the world.  Now I will present to you all the ways Sister Act 2 lied to me about life.

 

Being a Las Vegas Showgirl only entails singing a medley of hits from the 1960s

That opening sequence with Whoopi singing about 20 songs in a four minute time frame gave me such a great portrayal of what a Las Vegas Showgirl does.  I loved that you could combine a million songs together and sing them for people in a sparkly dress.  If that was being a showgirl then that is what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Whoopi Goldberg could believably play a Showgirl



Maybe it is because I know who Whoopi is now and I can see her on The View everyday, but it was really hard to believe she could have been a showgirl in Vegas.  I would have totally believed it if she was performing in Reno though.

Teaching inner city youths is fun and easy once you teach them a few vocal exercises. 



As a teacher in a nice area I know that this is not even close to the truth. Look at all that attitude Lauryn Hill is going you.  She is hard core and will not be won over with a few times through "Do a Dear."  Even Maria von Trapp would have had a heck of a time with these youths.   Either that or they weren't that ghetto.

Singing  "Oh Happy Day" like a girl will make you cool and give you self confidence. 



In perhaps one of the most memorable scenes in the movie the little scrawny boy came out of his shell and sang Oh Happy Day like Mariah Carrey angle.  Somehow this made him cool and made him feel good about himself. I know life is not like this.  For the boys who sing in a beautiful falsetto they usually get made fun of for not going through puberty yet.

Did anyone else try and sing like he did with your friends?  We would sing this song over and over again to see who could hit that high note the best. Looking back it really did not make us cool.

You can lie to your mom if you are as talented as Lauryn Hill 



So Lauryn Hill's mom did not want her to sing because of her dead beat dad, or something like that.  LH is pretty upset about this so instead of obeying her mom or having a real conversation she forges a permission slip and goes on a school trip.  Her mom shows up and right when you think all hell is about to break loose nothing happens.  LH sings her heart out and her mom gives her a hug.  The End.  I am pretty sure I would have been grounded for a month or three if I pulled that stunt.

Professor McGonagall, or if you are more classy the grandma on Downton Abbey was a nu







Round sunglasses are cool



Joyful Joyful is not actually a rap - gospel hybrid song. 



I remember singing this song in church and waiting for the part where we would break out the rap.  I was so excited to sing "Cause all I know is that I'm down with G-O-D!  You down with G-O-D? Yeah you know me!"

_______________________________

Now I would love to introduce you to Bri over at Deliciously Active.  Bri is so great about blogging fantastic recipes and encouraging her readers to eat healthy and work out.  If you want to know how to make your own donuts check out her post Move Over Dunkin and check out how tough this girl is and the 7.1 mile race she took part in I'm Savage.

 

1. What do you love about blogging?

What I love most about blogging is the socialization. I love being able to share my point of view and interact with my readers. I love hearing their perspective or, better yet, funny stories! I am a social person so I enjoy clicking around and "meeting" new people.

 

2. What is your favorite thing to blog about?

It's funny, I recently had a conversation with another blogger and she referred to me as a fitness and food blogger. I always thought I simply blogged about my life, but when I thought about it I do talk about fitness and food a lot (even in real life!). 

 

3. If you had to eat the same meal every day, what would you eat?

It'd probably be my chicken cacciatore. I can't flippin' get enough of the stuff. It's low-fat, but flavorful and filling. 

 

4. Do you have a furry friend? Tell us about them.

I have a Great Dane named Princesa. She is huge. I love watching people's faces when they come to my home and meet her for the first time. She's such a  friendly dog so she comes to properly greet anyone that walks through the door, but they back up out of fear because of her size. It's funny. She really is the sweetest, most loving dog and is so gentle and patient with my 3 young sons. They climb on her and she doesn't even flinch.

 

5. Where have you traveled to and what has been your favorite place and why?

I have traveled throughout the U.S., the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, and recently went to Europe. I think out of all the places I have been so far, I fell in love with Argentina and Italy the most. I worked in Argentina (Rosario) for 2 months and really got to know the city. I loved the architecture and the culture. The city itself has a dark history that I was drawn to (Dirty War), so it was fascinating to walk around the city and identify buildings where certain events took place. I loved Italy for the people and the food. The people are so warm and friendly and the food is amazing. I am planning another trip to Italy, but next time to Florence, Rome, and Pompeii.

Be sure to say hi to Bri on Twitter,  Bloglovin', and Instagram

How To Grow Your Blog - Live and Learn

Today I am happy to join the party over at The Craft Practitioner and pals for Live and Learn Thursday.



One of the things I have been living and learning this month has really been in relationship to my blog.  I have had a huge increase in readership and interactions this month and I have loved every minute of it.  The more I learn about blogging the more I love it and want more of it.

I have noticed some of the biggest blogs do a few things and I totally gave into their peer pressure.  Here are the things that I now do or own and the result has been a more visited blog.  The truth is probably due to some great giveaways, but for today this is how i lived and learned on how to grow my blog.

Take a DSLR photo of yourself

This does not mean take a lot of photos with a DSLR camera, or even buy a DSLR camera.  All you need to do is take a photo of yourself holding a DSLR camera.  Borrow one from your uncle, neighbor, or Best Buy take a photo and slap that bad boy on every social media outlet you have.  Let the world know you were in the presence of a DSLR camera, thus legitimizing your blog.

 

Get a Dog

This one will be a little harder to fake.  Sure you can take a photo with a friend's dog now and then but if you do not post pictures of your fur baby at least twice a day none of us professional bloggers will believe you.  This will probably be the largest investment you can make for your blog.  So far Penny has cost me 16 crap loads (that is an exact figure.)   But the joy she brings me when I get 20 likes on Instagram is irreplaceable.

Get in a relationship

I have been told I am too picky when it comes to dating.  Once I lowered my standards and just dated people to have blog material I became much more relatable and open.  Instead of looking for my Thor-like man to hold me in his incredibly buff arms I can date guys who play Playstation hockey and then tell you they are pretty my Thor or a NHL player and you ÷don't even know the difference.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="508"] I would like you to meet my boyfriend.[/caption]

Write about blogging

Blogger cannot get enough of blogging.  I mean it is like our black tar heroin, I am not even sure if that is a thing i just heard about it once on the street. I am telling you my posts about blogging are my most viewed posts.  For example Things This Blogger has Yet to Say and Best Blogs To Sponsor.  Now this post will be up there with the huge posts about blogging in the past.

This is of course all in good fun! 

I loved working with Lindsey on this post.  She is the very sweet and crafty lady over at The Crafty Practitioner.  You should read more of her posts about Live and Learn.  You will also be so jealous that she did not make your birthday party Lorax themed when you see what she did for her son's birthday.

She is a Nurse Practitioner and a crafter.  She does a great job of sharing her love for people and her love for crafts on her blog.  You can follow her on Bloglovin, Twitter, and Facebook.

Paypal Cash Sponsor Giveaway!

Today we are keeping it short and sweet.  A couple of my lovely sponsors and I pulled our resources and decided to get together and give you a little money to help pay our holiday bills or buy yourself something you didn't get for Christmas.

If you are interested in sponsoring So Much Sunshine next month be sure to check out my Sponsorship options.

Now go forth and follow these ladies!

Michelle - Hey Love Designs // Lindsay -  The Craft Practitioner // Erica -  So Much Sunshine

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why ABC Should Cast Me On The Bachelor

So if you didn't have a life last night and you were on twitter I know for a fact that you were reading my stream from live tweeting The Bachelor.  Let me tell ya I thought I was really funny last night, and so did two other people.

Some of my best quips from the night are as follows

How many years has it been since Cassandra want on a first date? She only said it like once. #Not #TheBachelor

— Erica Thompson (@EricaJT) January 21, 2014

 

Yes Chelsie if you can jump off a bridge with JP you can handle anything - identity theft, terminal illness, drug addiction. #TheBachelor

— Erica Thompson (@EricaJT) January 21, 2014

 

I am looking for a guy who has mastered the art of upside down kissing. #TheBachelor

— Erica Thompson (@EricaJT) January 21, 2014

 

Sharleen I saw your soul through the camera lens tonight. Your fears are now confirmed #TheBachelor

— Erica Thompson (@EricaJT) January 21, 2014

 

Where did all these brunette girls come from? #TheBachelor

— Erica Thompson (@EricaJT) January 21, 2014

Somewhere during all this live tweeting I realized that I really wanted to be a contestant on The Bachelor.  Not because I want to date anyone on TV and have the world watch as I awkwardly learn how to kiss (shout out to Charlene), but because I want a better tan.

If ABC cast me on The Bachelor I can tell you how my time would go down.

1. Wear all my old bridesmaid dresses

Brides have told me that I can wear my bridesmaid dress again in real life.  Well I have yet to find an opportunity to do this outside of being cast on The Bachelor.

2. I would just hang out by the pool and get a sweet tan for two weeks

You guys I can not stress this enough.  I would literally just lounge about while the sun was shining.  I probably wouldn't even talk to any of the girls there and then the producers could invent some drama out of it.  I would be the girl who is one way with them and anther way when The Bachelor comes in the room.  I mean I would have to act somewhat interested in order to keep the pool benefits.

3. I could read so many books

With all the lounging I would be able to catch up on all the books on my Kindle.

4. I would have so much blog material

No but really, I am pretty sure this could launch a career for me.  ABC  help a sister out.

5. I wouldn't care if I got a date or not

Group date, one on one, two on one, sneaking around in the bushes, none of that would matter to me.  I could pretend to be pissed of and hurt when my name wasn't on a date card, but inside I would be rejoicing.

6. Free home gym


You know those girls have to have a pretty great gym in that mansion.  I have always wanted a home gym to work out in before I lay out by my pool and read a book on my Kindle.

7. Dogs are allowed now

Now that Kelly has broken down the social stigma of loving dogs as a profession I am able to walk on the trail that she so brilliantly blazed for dog lovers everywhere.

Pack you bags Penny we are heading to the bachelor mansion!

500 And Counting

Today we are going to keep things short and sweet because I have big plans for this day off.  You see I was going to go on a date but the man in question didn't text me until 10:30 last night to see when I wanted to go out.  he suggested 9:30 am I just went to bed.  Bottom line I have been given a Erica Day and I plan to relish in some down time.

This weekend was a very interesting one.  I went to try to help May buy a car, if you need some stress in your life help an international student from China buy a car.  She still does not have a car and I am not sure when she will have one, tomorrow please!

On Saturday night I went to dinner with my mom.  My mom is one of the most amazing people in the whole world and as I have mentioned here before, my number one fan, HI mom.  She reads every blog post I write and will send me a sweet little text telling me what she liked about it.  That might be too much mom for some people but I like it when people in my face to face life know about my blog and want to talk to me about it.  It is a part of my life and I appreciate that they take the time to read and connect.

I once explained to my mom about followers and what good numbers for your blog are and she instantly was intrigued.  She told em when I reached 500 followers she would take me out to dinner, anywhere I wanted.  How sweet is that?  A free dinner because 500 of you lovely people follow my blog.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="688"] My mom was really happy she got the hockey game in the background of my picture.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="655"] Isn't my mom darling?[/caption]

Last week I reached that mark and then I saw a commercial for Red Lobster.  My mom texted and asked where I wanted to go and I knew I needed Red Lobster to make my life complete. We went to the one in Montclair, Ca and had a great meal.

Apparently, our food took a long time to come out to us, I didn't even notice.  Before we even got our food the manager came to the table to apologize for the delay and to tell us our meals were complimentary.   My mom and I both got a grilled salmon dinner, salads, and dessert for free man all we had to pay for were our drinks.  It was a great way to celebrate.  

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="581"] I do not always order desserts, but when I do there is a warm chocolate chip cookie involved.[/caption]

All of this to say I really love blogging and I love finding ways to celebrate some achievements that this little blog makes.  I appreciate each of you who reads and comments.  I truly love writing and I look forward to many more celebrations along the way.

If you are a restaurant, business or event that wants to celebrate with me when I reach 1000 followers let me know I am always down for a good time.

Hello, My Name Is

We made it to Friday!   I don't know about you but id did not seem like it was ever going to get here.  I might be really excited for the weekend because it is a 3 day weekend over here. I hope you all have a 3 day weekend and spend some time thinking about Martin Luther King Jr and his impact on our world.

That is a weird intro to follow the title of this post.  MLK Jr. and Voldemort share nothing in common and I apologize for my lack of transition.

In case you are new around here let me tell you a little about me.  I work as a teacher and counselor at a high school in Southern California.  The school I work for has a huge population of students from Asia who have come to America to learn English and earn a high school diploma with the hopes of going to a good college in America.

I really love the population of students I work with.  One of the things I love the most is learning from them about a part of the world I have yet to visit.  I also love that we do things differently.  One of the most obvious examples is in the way they choose their names.

When they come to our school we give them the opportunity to choose a nickname or an American name.  The process by which they do this is hilarious and I want to share some of my favorite with you now.

I Love Basketball Names

Alan Iverson (as a first name)

Michael Jordan (first name)

Howard

Dwight

Kobe

I Love Pop Culture Names 

Harry Potter (again as a first name)

Beyoncé

I Found A Website of Popular Baby Names From 1920

Mavis (beacon teaches typing)

Rita

Shirley

Henry

Mabel

I Want To Be Original Names

Quintella

Kalyn (to be pronounced KEElin)

Afra

Po

Ethnicity Ambiguous Names

Tores

Jamile

Quintella (again)

Rico

Arturo and Esmi (they are brother and sister. To be fair they lived in Spain for a long time)

The Terrifying Names

Lucifer

I Only Know a Few Words In English Names

Tree

Blue

Bunny

April

Yoyo

Twitter (Just Kidding, but really it is bound to happen soon)

I had a conversation with one of my classes last year about their names and asked where they came from.  The categories above are pretty much what they told me.  I had the funniest image in my mind and wanted a brave student to go to the office and ask for a name change.

I thought it would be hilarious if one of my students went into the office and said they wanted to change their name to Voldemort, totally serious and dead faced.  I work at a Christian school and I know how that would play out.  For some reason I just thought it would be the funniest thing in the world.  I pictured him going to class and having his name on the roster as Voldemort and his teachers calling him "The One Who Must Not Be Named."

I have a student who has accept this challenge, but has yet to work up the courage to do anything about it.  I have faith that by the end of the year Voldemort will attend my school.

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And now I would like to introduce you to one of my first blog friends Brittany from Blissfully Britt.

Britt is a a college student in Minnesota freezing her booty off right now. She didn't tell me that I am just guessing that anyone who lives in Minnesota is always cold.

If you want to read more about her booty check out her post Getting Cheeky With It (sorry for the awkward transition!) Also read her post about her cute pup getting older,  Growing Pains.

And now she will tell you a little about herself and why you should be blog friends.

 

Where have you traveled to? What has been your favorite place and why?

 

I love love love Chicago. I actually only went there for the first time a few years ago but I now I go at least twice a year. My boyfriend is from there so that may have something to do with it. But I really do just love everything about the city. It such a beautiful place, the food is the best around, and there is so much to do. Outside of the US though, Madrid, Spain. The Best. 

 

Do you have a fury friend? Tell us about them. (He is super cute by the way)

 

In June, on a whim my boyfriend and I drove four hours away to pick out our baby. We had gotten the okay from my mom the night before (we live with her) and I wasn't risking her changing her mind so off we went the next morning. We fell in love with our little guy because he was so playful and the fluffiest thing ever. He is the sweetest little Bichon Poodle and we named him Colby Jack :) Yes, like the cheese. 

 

What song is your jam right now? 

 

On any given day the answer to this would be anything by Justin Timberlake, but to change it up I am going to go with All Of Me by John Legend. Ever heard of it? If not go listen now! It is the sweetest song ever and makes me so happy. 

 

What do you love about blogging?

 

I am about to cliche here but honestly it is so true. The best part about blogging is the friendships that come out of it. But aside from that I just enjoy writing typing my thoughts and if I want to I am able to go back and look at what was going on at a certain point in time. 

 

Favorite Movie, TV show, book?

 

Favorites are always so hard for me. How do you just pick one? My all time favorite movie is How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. But I also love The Bourne Trilogy, Spider-Man, and What A Girl Wants. For TV shows I would have to go with Parenthood, Numbers, White Collar and Brothers & Sisters. 

You can follow Britt on Twitter, GFC, or Instagram