Intoxicated.

I know. I've not blogged lately.

It's May.

May is a flurry of birthdays, end of the school year activities, and the introduction of a-ma-zing weather.

After being banished to the indoors from October through Mid-April, warm and breezy late spring days, fresh-cut grass, and birdsong just intoxicates you. It's hard to get anything done but nothing when warm and even hot days produce an outdoor-beauty-induced laziness about you. Think the scene in Bambi, when everyone gets twitterpated. That's what it's like for South Dakotans in May. We just don't know how to take so much good stuff in. There's an adjustment period. It ends when it gets blistering hot and nasty humid in July.

Oh, and:

With the weather comes neighborhood kids by the bunches, at my house near-daily. The biggest event so far had a ratio of 4 adults to 20+ kids for a smores party.

We've been enjoying the freedom of far less commitments with school, and taking things easy and fun. It's nice to just relax in to it without plans to follow.

Jim and I have had some great time alone together, and have, in one month, had two dates that involved leaving the house and seeing 2 movies in-theatre, newly released. I know. Crazy.

BY THE WAY- One of those movies was extremely traumatic for me. Seeing a much-beloved version of Mr. Darcy play the Sheriff of Nottingham shocked and repulsed me. I looked away when he was on screen like we were viewing Saw 4 and asked Jim to tell me when he was gone. He mostly just laughed at me. See, the reverse happened with my other beloved Darcy, who was this creepy guy to me first, then he was the slighted husband in The English Patient, then Mr. Darcy , Fitzwilliam and Mark, forever in my heart. That was much easier. (Robin Hood, itself, I thought was great.)

I've been reading and reading, recently arrested by one amazing book, that I just finished yesterday. Wow. And, having near-daily long afternoons sitting outside while my kids play in the sand has left me with hours of extra time for reading. I'm not complaining.

By the way. Did you know I am allergic to the sun? For real. Not only do I have the whitest most purely Scandinavian and Irish skin imaginable (it's true- that's all I am- white and freckled) but, since my youth every year for about the first 2 weeks I'm regularly in the sun, I break out into horrible, itchy, painful, hot hives. Not pleasant. But the only cure is to stay in the sun regularly until it passes.

So now you know that about me.

Oh, and TV is very exciting this time of year. I'm typically an Internet after-the-fact-when-I-get-time-I'll-see-it watcher. But this season, there's just so much fun TV to catch before it's over. The Office (sad depleted season, but with promise for next year- I'm faithful to you Office, but, please, for mercy's sake, let next year be the last), Greys (bunch of ridiculous stuff through the regular seasons, but the finales are always really well-written and usually worth watching the rest of the year, especially to those looongly devoted to the usually stupid plot). Dancing with the Stars was awesome this season. Glee was also awesome as ever. LOVED that version of Poker Face. And of course we were mad about catching every second of the last episode of Chuck. I'm so proud of them. The line has come along so nicely this third, reborn season. Next year promises to be awesome.

Oh yes. Now I should mention that 2 GREAT friends from the way back days who've lived several hours away since the end of college moved to town, to our STREET. More on that, I'm sure later. They deserve more than just a mention in a long rambling about nothing post.

I've been working a lot, and have all the details finalized for the upcoming June and July classes. I am getting so excited for these- if you're on the fence, get a spot! This is going to be all the core basics, very hands-on, and fun. I promise.

Oh yes, and I was really into Celebrity Apprentice this year too. I have to say, this Snapple is fantastic, and worth the sugar.