blog challenge

Years ago, I never wanted to go on a cruise. I’m not sure why, but it just wasn’t anything that interested me. Maybe it was the thought of being on a boat for all that time. It’s not my “travel style,” per say.

Boy was I wrong.

A few years back, I had the chance to be the photographer of a friend’s wedding, which was held on a ship. That meant I was going on a cruise. It’s amazing how your tune changes when you barter services, isn’t it?

Though I had some nerves, it intrigued me.

On a ship, in the ocean, sailing toward the Caribbean. I’d get to visit a few different spots and it was something I got thinking about.

Turns out it was so worth it.

I had the chance to see different places and see some of the bluest waters I’ve ever laid eyes on. Sitting on the deck of my room at night as the ship sailed … the smells, the sounds … amazing.

Talk about tropical dreams.

The food, the drink, the people. Goodness, there’s so much to like about something like this. It also made me realize I want to travel at some point to one of these tropical islands and just spend a week there.

There are many tropical places I’d love to visit – such as Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and more.

The top of my list, though, has always been the Maldives, a tiny set of islands situated in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean. Talk about tropical dreams though. The photos I’ve seen from there look amazing. The colors are so crisp. The weather looks divine. The beaches are dreams.

Yes, please sign me up.

Travel is a funny thing. Some days you might want a tropical paradise, others you might want to backpack Alaska.

But the reality is this – there’s never a problem with sitting on a beach somewhere, a cold one in hand, and staring out over a pristine ocean.

Well, I think, anyway.

I’m not sure if I will ever get to the Maldives. Maybe I will – maybe not. But while I’m on this Earth, it will remain a tropical dream to me. As long as the dream is there, there’s always a chance at reality!

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This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

We all have guilty pleasures.

Sometimes, it’s hard to pin down exactly what it might be. For some, it might be music. For others, it might be a game. Or an activity. Or food.

There are times a guilty pleasure might be embarrassing. Then there are times where … it’s just something you don’t always want to indulge in.

For me, it’s a certain food. It’s one that I can’t get too often in my area, so when I get it, I tend to cherish it. Add to the fact that I am trying to be a lot healthier, these items are also something that I have to watch in that regard as well.

My guilty pleasure (at least one of them), are French macarons.

Goodness.

If you’ve had traditional French macarons, you know what I’m talking about here. Each bite is delightful. The different flavors you can get are incredible. It’s almost a bit of heaven each time you chew down.

So.

Damn.

Delightful.

My goodness. Just thinking about them makes me smile.

Whenever I go to a city, I always try and look up if they have places to get macarons. The closest to me is in the Scranton area, but it’s a neat little store with amazing macarons. I’ve gotten them in Philly, New York City, Saratoga … I know there are a few other places.

This is my weak spot, though.

If you have never had macarons (and I’m not talking about those “macaroons” cookies), then I would encourage you to find a bakery that has good ones. When they are fresh, they are amazing. I like, too, that there seems to be a lot of room for flavors, which makes it even better.

Now I want some macarons.

How about all of you? Have you had some real macarons? Do you like? And what is your guilty pleasure?

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This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Does anybody remember those old Bud commercials … the “why ask why?”

Those old commercials gave you different questions to answer … the questions to ponder, if you will.

But the theme itself got me thinking.

Why do we ask?

What do we ask?

Life is a learning tool. So often people don’t ask questions and they should. In the past six months, I couldn’t tell you how many times somebody said “This is a stupid question, but …”

And 9.5 times out of 10, it’s not a stupid question.

Our lives are full of learning opportunities, where we can increase our knowledge of the world or different things and to improve ourselves.

If you don’t ask questions, how do you always learn?

The reality is, especially in the current age, there are so many things that go on in the world.

So, why ask why?

Why not?

Ask the questions … and learn more.

Until then, here’s an old commercial for your Friday.

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This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

I thought this theme was a good one because the hope is – no matter how deep you look or blog into it, it makes you think and reflect a little.

Life isn’t always easy. And it sure as hell isn’t always fair. But there are small things in life in which you can look toward to make you happy.

My list is filled with different things – from board games to travel to photography to hot dogs. Mind you, this list is brief and I don’t go into explaining things, but I’m not sure I truly need to. I think the list explains itself.

My “happy” list, in no particular order:

1. Baseball
2. Photography
3. Geocaching
4. A good beer (preferably, Guinness)
5. Hot dogs
6. Ice cream
7. Board games
8. Family and friends
9. A great meal
10. Travel

There’s my 10 … what about you? What are the things that make you happy? With the world the way it is, sometimes even just thinking about these items can make you smile. For me, there are more than 10 – such as the random smile from somebody, or just going for a drive – but the items above are usually things that can make me smile quickly.

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This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

I vote …or not.

Living in the Northeast, I’ve long understood that the weather can change in my area – just blink. And I do like living in an area where we get all four seasons (though, in recent years, it hasn’t always been that way).

But … snow.

I’m a firm believer we should have a white Christmas, and my area had that this year for the first time in a few. In fact, Christmas morning for me was shoveling. But once we hit early January, its time for the snow to go.

Instead, it seems like after flipping a new year, that’s when we get it. And often times, it’s … just here and there. An inch or three one day, same with the next.

Now, this year I don’t mind as much as it’s good exercise to get out there and shovel. It keeps me active and is different than just going for a walk. So if it’s something I have to do, it’s not a bad thing. With worrying about my health, it helps there, too.

Still, it’s annoying.

For example, coming home from work yesterday, I caught a line of cars. One car was leading this pack and doing anywhere from 18 mph to 35. If you have driven in winter weather, you know going that slow is highly dangerous.

I’m not a racer in winter weather, but you have to drive as you can. If you are scared or too slow, it can cause an accident.

That’s the problem with winters that haven’t been bad – people panic when it does finally snow.

And I do like snow for about a month, as I noted above. But then it’s time for it to go and let us start working toward the spring.

Snow can make for good photos. It’s great during the holidays. But once you start going deeper into a new year, it’s … not fun anymore. Mix in with the brutal temperatures we’ve been getting and it’s even worse.

How about you? Snow … or no?

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This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!