National Waffle Day

Really might have been one of the best holidays so far. This might look ordinary but it was DELICIOUS! Chocolate chip waffle with peanut butter and whipped cream on top. Amazing.

Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and It's Abolition

First of all, I would like to say that, in all seriousness, this is a day worth remembering. It is sobering to remember that at the founding of our country, men were enslaved by other men. It is even more sobering to remember that the enslavers were humans just like us. Which means, that we are capable of equally horrible acts. Our time is wasted if we spend it judging the evil actions of the past. Instead, we need to focus on preventing those evil actions from ever happening again.

Sarah and I have been spending a lot of time recently discussing the repercussions of slavery and discrimination. We are interested in discovering how many social ills today are still directly or indirectly linked to slavery and to segregation. And then we are interested in curing all of those social ills. If you are interested in joining this discussion, please come over to our house for a glass of wine and some good conversation.

Today, in remembrance, I read some brief biographies of Harriet Tubman. A woman who risked her own life to save hundreds of others. We, as young people in America, have easy lives and often lose sight of the fact that a happy life is not necessarily a comfortable life. We were put here for so much more than our own pleasure. Tubman didn't just live, she changed the course of history. We have the same power within us. Sarah has a quote in her room that says, "We are all greater than we think." It's time to take hold of that statement and begin acting instead of talking, to begin thinking instead of dreaming. It's our turn to stand in the gap.

Harriet Tubman sang the following spiritual as a warning to warn escaping slaves to move from the path into the water in order to throw off pursuing dogs...

Wade in the Water

Chorus:
Wade in the water,
Wade in the water children.
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water

Who’s all those children all dressed in Red?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that Moses led.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus:

What are those children all dressed in White?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones of the Israelites.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus:

Who are these children all dressed in Blue?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that made it through.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

National Men's Grooming Day

Today we want to highlight a man who is an expert in the art of manly grooming: Jackson Nahoum. Jackson, we love you with the full beard, with the handlebar, and even when you're cleanly shaven. Thanks for showing all the men out there how it's done. Keep up the good work.

National Aviation Day

Today is National Aviation Day. We had hoped to go meet and interview pilots about their careers today, but sadly Anna was unable to slip away from her professional development event in Newark long enough to visit the airport. However, the universe was conspiring with us today. Unbeknownst to me, my trek to Rockaway Beach took me past the Floyd Bennett Field: Brooklyn's home of Naval Aviation. It piqued my interest; here is what I have learned.

Floyd Bennett Field was a national center of WWII naval aviation, deploying offensives both over the Atlantic against German U-Boats and to take part in some of the major battles of the war in the Pacific. During WWII Floyd Bennett Field was the busiest naval station in the country. Men and women built and delivered enormous quantities of planes to the field.

Today the field is no longer an active Naval base, but in the old hangers vintage planes are refurbished and the north end of the park has been converted into Aviator Sports and Events Center, providing fields and camps for families in southern Brooklyn.

Bibliography:

National Parks Services: Floyd Bennett Field, http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/120floyd/index.htm

Remember to say thank you to our nation's pilots.

Sarah

Cupcake Day and Bad Poetry Day

Big shout out to Jonathan Seale for helping us celebrate this important day. He created a bad mad libbs poem about cupcakes (wow!).

Here's a picture of Jon crafting the poem:

And here's the finished product (I italicized all the words that were filled in through mad libbs):

Bad Cupcake Poem

Oh my purple love

Your toe is

like a marvelous cupcake.

Your eccentric yeast rises

like the sun.

Your ring finger

is like icing

and your voice

runs like sprinkles.

Bake me in your oven

of integrity.

Every hour with you

is like an ugly dessert.

The Meaning of "Is" Day

I'm just going to warn you - I'm going to get deep on you today. If you're not ready for it, don't go there.

What IS the meaning of is?? Is means "to be" does it not? We use all forms of it to describe ourselves. I am a girl. I am a teacher. I am from Texas. The word "is" defines us. But who am I really? Am I who I say I am or who you think I am? Am I what I say or what you see? Can there be more than one true me? Which of us can really claim to know the true meaning of is?

Example:

What IS in this picture? Is it some weird type of bouncy ball? Is it a strange type of food? What do you see?

Now, look at the next picture? What IS that? A flower? Some leaves from outside?

The answer: they are one and the same! My tea that I drank tonight started out as a round hard ball and then blossomed into a beautiful tea leaf flower. Even though they are both very different, each one IS still the same tea.

Lesson learned: look twice before you decide the meaning of "is". Especially when you are looking at people.

FYI I'm going to start giving you a weekly preview of the holidays that are coming up. Usually I'll do it on Sunday, but not this time.

Wednesday: Cupcake Day, Bad Poetry Day, Mail Order Catalogue Day

Thursday: Black Cow Root Beer Float Day, Aviation Day, National Medical Dosimetrist Day

Friday: Men's Grooming Day, Virtual Worlds Day

Saturday: Daffodil Day, Hug Your Boss Day, National Homeless Animals Day, Poet's Day, Senior Citizen's Day

Blame Someone Else Day

I didn't post yesterday. And it's not my fault. It's yours. And yours. And yours.

In other news, tomorrow is Navajo Code Day! See ya there.

National Presidents Jokes Day

Dear Faithful Readers,

I failed you today. I was pumped and excited about National Presidents Jokes Day. I was prepared to unleash a barrage of Presidential Jokes. And I didn't. I tried, I honestly tried. I told people about the day and no one seemed to buy into my enthusiasm. To make up for it, however, I will leave you with one joke:

Q: What do you get when you cross a gorilla and the 16th President of the United States?

A: Ape Lincoln

See you tomorrow for IBM PC day, Sewing Machine Day, International Youth Day, and Vinyl Records Day.

National Duran Duran Day

Here's to you Duran Duran. A little round table discussion in their honor.

I want to give you a heads up for tomorrow's holiday because you need to prep for it a little bit ... It's National President's Jokes Day so get your presidential jokes ready and wow your friends and coworkers tomorrow.

Particularly Preposterous Packing Day Part 2

The NYC subway system preposterously packed me yesterday! I tried to capture the packed-ness in a picture (keep in mind that this was after some people had gotten off, and so it was already a little less packed than it had been a few stops back):

Someone must have told the metro system about this holiday because they certainly were trying to help us celebrate! They even shut down several subway lines so we would all have to cram onto the same trains. I'm not sure if I appreciate NYC's dedication to celebrating Particularly Preposterous Packing Day. Riding for about 30 minutes with a fat ladies arm in my face was not fun.

I hope all of you had a better day of celebrating than I did.

Thank goodness today is "Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night."

Particularly Preposterous Packing Day

The pictures tell it all:

#1 Beginning of the day

#2 End of the day

National Fresh Breath Day

I think this video speaks for itself. I want to give big props to Sarah for doing this several times while we were on our way home ... she even swigged and spit on the subway. The girl knows how to celebrate that's all I can say.

I would like to add that if this is not a holiday you celebrate daily ... please start now.

See you tomorrow for particularly preposterous packing day!

Anna

International Beer Day

Today is the day we've all been waiting for, at least all of us over 21 (or 18 in Europe...or 12 in Russia...): INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY! So after getting excited about it last night, Emma and I trekked out after work to the other side of the park to buy groceries for dinner and the all important, international beer.

A few months ago I invested in a Whole Foods 32 oz. growler- a container like a jug used to carry drat beer purchased at local brewpubs. (courtesy of www.byo.com/resources/glossary) Upon moving to Brooklyn in July, I was told that I could take this Whole Foods growler and have it filled at the same discounted price at the local brewpub, "Bierkraft." Well, today, after a long hike up and down Mount Prospect, which actually facilitated a good catch up convo with a close friend, my excitement and anticipation was dashed to pieces as I found out that only 64 oz. growlers could be filled at Bierkraft's taps. Well, Plan B, what international beer should I choose to celebrate this special day? After consulting a helpful salesman--not hiding well my utter disappointment--he pointed me toward the Koenig Pilsner (www.koenig.de) imported from Germany through Anna's very own College Station, TX. He said it was a light refreshing versatile Pilsner that would compliment well the bison tacos Emma was preparing back home. And the biggest plus: it came in a can.

I took his word for it, bought the beer and turned around to make the long journey home. A rejuvenating conversation with a friend from college brought me out of my inability-to-fill-a-32-oz.-growler-funk as did the amazing aroma of Mexican food mixed with fresh-baked cookies that met me upon opening the front door. Emma had worked her magic and dinner was almost ready. Throwing the international brewskies in the freezer to cool down quickly, I helped heat tortillas as she put the finishing touches on her cookie dough. When Anna arrived home, we sat down to a Mexican taco feast, not complete without the Jenni Schmidt Salad. With a toast to international beer and a quick thanks for food and good friends, we dined to the heart's content. I do have to say bison and Koenig inspire great, deep conversation.

I hope the rest of you enjoyed this day as much as we did. Three cheers to the breweries of the world. Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray!

Sarah

National Coast Guard Day AND National Chocolate Milk Day

National Coast Guard day was touching, heartwarming, and all of the above. Let me set the story up for you ...

Sarah cooked a grreeaatt dinner tonight and invited her cousins over. While we were eating, there was a lull in the conversation and so I thought it would be a great time to mention that today is National Milk Chocolate Day and National Coast Guard Day. I thought everyone would be happy about the first, but not really care about the second. Bu

t it was the complete opposite! The whole family got excited when I mentioned Coast Guard Day and it turns out that their grandpa (papa) was in the Coast Gu

ard! The cousins called him and wished him a Happy National Coast Guard Day ... awwwwwwwww. That part was pretty funny too because they had him on speaker phone and he's hard of hearing. It made for an interesting conversation. Needless to say, National Coast Guard Day touched lives today and brought families together. What a day.

And here's Caleb (the awesome Schmidt bro who came and visited us this week) partying hard in honor of National Chocolate Milk Day. (By partying hard I mean, drinking a big glass of chocolate milk).

Cheers!!

Watermelon Day and ALMOST National Night Out

So let me tell you about what went down today...

I checked my calendar before I left school and saw that it was "National Night Out." I was pretty tired and not that motivated about celebrating and so I hopped on the subway to go home. As I was exiting the subway station, about 6 policemen were coming in. They were the BEST-LOOKING policemen I've ever seen. I wondered what was going on - anytime you see 6 cops going anywhere you think there's trouble - but they didn't look like they were chasing anyone. I started my walk home wishing I had talked to them. I should have said something! When I got home, there was a sign taped to our door that said "National Night Out Against Crime" and it was hosted by the police department! I realized that's where all 6 of the good looking cops were going. This was perfect. A way to celebrate a great national holiday and get a second chance to talk to these guys. So, I looked at the address on the sign. It said "Bedford Ave and Rogers Ave." I looked up the spot on my phone. It was a 20 minute walk - no problem! And I took off walking. And walking. And walking. And walking. I finally got to the intersection of Bedford and Rogers and there was noooooooo event happening. I thought, "well maybe I'm at the wrong spot and it's around here somewhere." I kept on walking all around the area. I walked to any place that I thought this thing might be. I got a great walking tour of BedStuy and Crown Heights (2 of the worst neighborhoods in Brooklyn), but it was nowhere to be found! Thanks Brooklyn Police Department for nothing. I could have married a cop, but now that chance is gone.

I walked home defeated and decided that I had no choice, but to celebrate today's other phenomenal national holiday ... Watermelon Day. I stopped at a fruit stand, bought a watermelon, and here is the result ...

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of my walking tour. I already stood out enough without stopping for photographs.

Respect for Parents Day AND Friendship Day

Today, I celebrated Respect for Parents Day by calling my mother.

Then, I celebrated Friendship Day by texting my best friend and saying "Happy Friendship Day! You are the best!!" (Because she really is the best. Ever. I mean who else loves Harry Potter AND Coffee AND brownies AND Transformers??)

And then I kept celebrating National Friendship Day by listening to this song by this man:

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
I can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter of your life is through

But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end

National Dancing Day

Today is/was National Dancing Day - unbeknown to us all!

So, even though we were late comers to accepting this holiday as our own, I chose to celebrate this great holiday with the viewing of an equally great movie! You may think you know what is coming...but I doubt it.

Here is what I am currently watching -

I love it! So fun! Makes me want to be on a beach, with a Spaniard teaching me how to Dirty Dance. Ha! Hope you all danced your hearts out today!

Cheesecake!!!

Yesterday was also National Cheesecake Day, as well as National Talk in an Elevator Day.

Can I just say that I am so proud of Anna and Myself for consistantly not celebrating the same holidays? It makes for much better blogging! :)

So, to celebrate, I did the smart choice - and purchase Ben and Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie Ice Cream. Ever had it? Then you know. If not, go buy some IMMEDIATELY. You will never regret that decision.

So, here is a craptastic picture of it - but, at least I thought enough of you, dear readers, and the blog itself, to even snap a picture, albeit, a terrible one...

Enjoy!

National Talk in an Elevator Day

In other news ... I boycotted National Cheesecake Day by not eating or making or buying any cheesecake. Boo ya!

If you have any good stories about times you've talked in an elevator please comment on the post and tell us your story!

Lasagna Day Part 2

"An Ode to Lasagna" by Sarah Carraway Schmidt:

Oh lasagna, you are such a delicious dish

Cheesy yet meaty, a meal on a plate

To change you I have but a single wish

When baking, must you always be late?!

Ricotta, mozzarella and a bit of parm

Tomatoes and basil with oregano

Meat or fresh veggies, just off the farm

And then comes the pasta that is oh so slow

Slow to grow tender and hot in the middle

Smelling so good as it takes its sweet time

When you just 'bout give up--put grilled cheese on the griddle

You give it one final test and oh how sublime!

The taste and aroma perfectly intermingle

Bring back memories of mama's Italian feasts

Such a perfect concoction causes taste buds to tingle

The beginning of many such dinners on Prospect Park east

Lasagna Day

Another delicious day! It's not hard to guess how I celebrated this holiday ... I cooked lasagna. I tried to spice things up, though, by not using a recipe. I was a little nervous that I'd end up having to order out for pizza tonight, but it turned out alright. Actually, it might have been one of the best lasagnas I've ever made! The spirit of Lasagna Day must've been in the air.

Here are pictures of the stages the lasagna went through and the soundtrack that was playing in the background.

Step 1: Cooking the meat

Soundtrack: "A Change is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke

Step 2: Mixing the cheese (ricotta and parmesan)

Soundtrack: "I've Got Dreams to Remember" - Otis Redding and "Hit the Road Jack" - Ray Charles

Step 3: Layering it in the pan

Soundtrack: "Stand by Me" - B.B. King; "Lean on Me" - Bill Withers; "Love & Happiness" - Al Green

Step 4: Clean-up

Soundtrack: "Unthinkable" - Alicia Keys; "Like You" - Bow Wow; "Shawty is Da Sh**" - The Dream

Step 5: The finished product

Soundtrack: Lots of Mariah Carey

And finnnnaaaaallllllyyyyy the most important step - eating the good stuff! It was such a huge moment that I couldn't just eat it at my house. I decided to eat at the park by my house. And of course, when I got there, there was a jazz band setting up to play ... because I live in New York and awesome stuff like that happens all the time.

Here's a picture of my lasagna in the park along with the lyrics to the best soundtrack of the entire process.

"Grateful" - Hezekiah Walker

I am grateful for the things that You have done.

I am grateful for the victories we've won.

I could go on and on about Your works.

Because I'm so grateful, grateful so grateful just to praise you Lord.

In other news, today was also rain day and it rained this morning! Woo!

See ya tomorrow for "Talk in an Elevator Day" and "Cheesecake Day". It's gonna be good.

National Milk Chocolate Day

Does it get better than Milk Chocolate Day? I don't think sooooo. At least not until International Beer Day gets here. Allie and I decided to create a joint post today since we both celebrated the same holiday.

I celebrated this delicious day by hand delivering milk chocolate to my roommates while they were at work. Here are some pictures from the day ...

Emma and Sarah at Levain Bakery:

Emma and her co-worker who was pretty happy to find out about milk chocolate day:

Jillian happily celebrating the day at the Jillery jewelry shop:

Allie showed true dedication today. Here is a picture of her breakfast that was eaten with a side of chocolate milk (she's an all-or-nothing kind of girl):

She also went so far as to say that she won't be celebrating this holiday yearly - it's going to be weekly for her! (Wow, Allie. That's all I can say).

After distributing my chocolate, I bought the ingredients for Lasagna Day which is coming up tomorrow. On the train ride home, a young man in my subway car announced that he was selling M&M's ... which are made out of milk chocolate ... to raise money for college. I happily forked over my dollar. What a great way to celebrate.

I hope you all had a delicious and happy milk chocolate day. See you tomorrow for Lasagna Day!

Barbie in a Blender Day

Well, this holiday can be quite gruesome.

Seriously.

So, instead of mutilating multiple barbies, in quite barbaric ways, I chose to rethink what this Holiday might mean to me... To me, barbie in a blender day could mean foregoing your feminine ways, and accepting the manliness within. (As I wrote that, I giggled...)

In my quest to unleash my inner man, I did two things:

1. Rode a Bike. While Wearing a Dress. Take THAT Feminism!

 (p.s. this is way manlier than I make it look. don't be deceived)

2. Made a Pizza. And Drank Beer. Manly Beer.

 (you see those knives. those are manly. also, see my pizza :)

I hope that while looking back upon your day, you were able to celebrate the manliness within - and in a sense, blend that barbie image to a pulp. Ouch....

- Als

Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day

Man! Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day was a success!

Sarah and I walked Jillian's plant, Planty, through the Botanical Gardens so he could meet some of his leafy brothers and sisters. Here are some pictures of Planty's adventure ...

Planty watching a man paint:

Sarah introducing Planty to the curator of the garden:

Planty appreciating some Shakespeare:

Sarah and Planty spending some quality time together:


The best part of Planty's adventure wasn't documented in pictures. It happened when Planty and I stopped at the Japanese garden. We were coloring together when a group of kids in a summer camp surrounded us. One little girl looked at my coloring book so longingly that I offered her a crayon and asked if she wanted to help me color. She and a little boy named Charlie took over the coloring. She told me that she is in 3rd grade and he's in 2nd. We talked about how we are afraid of snakes, but Charlie said that he used to be and isn't anymore (so brave). Soon the other kids saw us coloring and I had about 10 kids climbing on top of me to color. Here's a picture of the finished product:

Aunt and Uncle Day

First of all, Allie thanks for that inspiration. I'm going to go out and grab life's horns tomorrow and see what happens.

Today, I celebrated Aunt and Uncle day. I found this great definition of Aunts and Uncles on a website and want to share with you...

Our Aunts and Uncles mean a lot to us. Among other things, they are most likely:

The backup caretaker when mom and dad go out, or are at work.
Real characters at family get-togethers and events.
Someone we can talk to and related to..... some things we just can talk about with "parental units".
Sound counsel and advice.
Someone who takes you to fun places and events.
Someone whose house is a great place to sleepover, especially if you have cousins.
The ones who give you great presents for birthdays, Christmas and special events.
And, the benefits of Aunts and Uncles goes on, and on, and on, and.........

So, clearly this is a very important holiday and designed to honor some great people. I celebrated by asking all of the sales clerks at the stores I visited who their favorite aunt or uncle is. I got some mixed reviews ...

Checkout guy at Duane Read - Has a lot of aunts and uncles but doesn't know ANY of them. I thought there might be any interesting story about why he doesn't know an of them, but as I started to ask him questions I quickly realized that it was a very sensitive subject. So, I might have traumatized the Duane Read man by telling him about Aunt and Uncle day, but I decided that couldn't stop me from celebrating. I just needed to be more sensitive with my questions.

Cashier at Whole Foods - Favorite aunt lives in Greece. He said that when he was younger, she babysat for him and his brother. She didn't speak the language very well and so when they started acting up, she didn't know how to tell them to stop. She finally got so frustrated that she started chasing them around the house with a broom and a baseball bat! I think this guy appreciated Aunt and Uncle day.

If you haven't already told your parent's siblings that you love them, it's never too late!
Looking forward to Barbie in a Blender Day tomorrow ....
Peace.

July 26th - All or Nothing Day

Well, I chose to celebrate "All or Nothing Day" by grabbing life by the horns, and well, essentially, giving it my all.

This manifested itself in many ways.

1. Sewing. I sewed a lot today. Fixed a dress, a skirt, worked on another dress...the casualties of being the girl who can sew. But I gave them my all.

2. Cleaning. Our apartment is a mess. It has been for a while. I tried to remedy that. Not only by sweeping, but even MOPPING. What?! Grabbing those horns, baby.

3. Dressing. This could have been a challenge. But seeing as how today is "All or Nothing Day" I decided to go with the first part. I gave it my all. I put on cute clothes. Makeup. Even did my hair. Go me!

4. Living. Fact of the matter is that I lived, today. I gave life all I had. And I succeeded. I have lived to see another day. I breathed in and out all day long. I successfully gave today my "All".

What are some of the ways that you grabbed life by the proverbial horns today??

-Allie

Creation

Everything has a beginning, and this blog began as the brainchild of Allie Andrews and Anna Myers. It all started when Anna discovered that Saturday, July 24 was National Tequila Day. She and Allie met to celebrate said holiday at a classy and exotic spot ... Tortilla Flats. Over a pitcher of margaritas and some tequila shots (all for the sake of honoring the day), they began to discuss how great it would be to celebrate more national holidays. They took it a step further and thought - why not make a calendar of all of the holidays and enable more people to join in the celebrations? Who wouldn't want to know when the next "Barbie in a Blender Day" was coming up or participate in "Particularly Preposterous Packing Day"? But the idea couldn't stop with just a calendar. After all, don't we all want to hear about how someone celebrated National Underwear Day? Or honored National Navajo Code Talkers Day? The answer is, yes, yes we do. Therefore, the blog was born.

Anytime one of us celebrates a national holiday, we'll write a blog post and share the experience with the world. I am personally committed to commemorating at least one holiday per day and hope that others join with me. If you'd like to see the calendar so that you too can take part in celebrating and remembering all of our national holidays, email me at aemyers9@gmail.com.