Happy May Day!

Hi everybody! If you didn't already know, today is May 1 better known as May Day! Now I didn't really know that much about May Day so I thought I would look into it and you would be surprised at all that I found! :) Did you know that May Day has it May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Bealtine and the Germanic festival of Walpurgus night. May 1 falls exactly a half a year from November 1. The earliest celebration of May Day can be traced back to Flora the ancient Roman celebration in honor of the Roman goddess of flowers. Traditional British May Day rites include Morris dancing, crowning of the May Queen and celebrations involving the Maypole.

 Did you know that because of its ties to paganism, May Day was abolished by the Puritans during the years of 1649-1660? On May 1, 1561 in France King Charles IX received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm, every year after that he decided to offer a lily of the valley to each woman in the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime, on May 1. The government permits individuals and workers' organisations to sell them tax-free.


 Now, all these facts are nice but how does this pertain to my blog you ask? Well, the more romantic traditions of May Day are what I really want to talk about! In Germany, May 1 is celebrated by the delivery of a maypole, a tree covered in streamers to the house of a girl the night before. The tree is typically from a love interest, though a tree wrapped only in white streamers is a sign of dislike. Females usually place roses or rice in form of a heart at the house of their beloved one. It is common to stick the heart to a window or place it in front of the doormat. On Leap Years it is the responsibility of the females to place the maypole. All the action is usually done secretly and it is an individuals choice whether to give a hint of their identity or stay anonymous.

In some parts of the United States May Baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someones doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away. The person receiving the basket tries to catch the fleeing giver. If they catch the person, a kiss is exchanged.

Oh to celebrate these traditions of May Day, I find it so romantic to wake up on the morning of May 1 and look out your window and find a tree covered in streamers only to wonder who put it there. I love all the traditions surrounding May day and I love the coming of spring and the fresh flowers and pretty much everything about May Day. So there is your history lesson today! Go give some lilies to your beloved or leave a tree or a basket outside someones door and see what comes of it. Happy May Day everyone! :)

Did you know that Kate Middleton carried a lily of the valley bouquet at the royal wedding on April 29th two days before May Day?

San Francisco Southern

Ok, I admit, I have been backed up, on blogging that is. I have read two books and failed to blog with them but as a very busy college girl approaching finals week, I am stressing out over my Sign Language final. That being said, I apologize for taking so long. OK, so I read two books in the last week both are really good and really different. The only two things these books can claim as similar are that they are both in the Christan Romantic Fiction category. Ok, the first book that I read is called Perfecting Kate. This is the first christian fiction book I ever picked up and read as a Sophomore in High School. This book is really good and has a lot of good messages in it about faith and truly embracing who you are as a daughter of a king, (not to mention all the juicy romance scenes! Moonlit picnic on the rooftop overlooking San Francisco with an incredibly hot doctor? Yes please!) Anyways, I am sidetracking. This book follows the life of Kathrine May Meadows a budding San Fransisco artist. All she is looking for is a nice, solid Christian man. She is surprised when all of the sudden not one but two incredibly gorgeous men enter her world. The first is Michael Palmier a very famous make up artist who swears he loves Kate but the bounty of business cards he offers to her ranging from a dentist who promises to fix the little gap in her teeth to the plastic surgeon who specializes in liposuction. The second bachelor is Dr. Clive Alexander who is the lead plastic surgeon at the children's hospital where he gives burn victims back their lives and their hope, oh did I mention he is supposed to look like Brad Pitt, in a more attractive kind of way? Dr. Alexander sends Kate's pulse skittering at every turn too bad he is only interested in her work, will there ever be a man who just loves Kate for who she is or will she rely on fixing herself to meet others standards of her. Join Kate as she discovers the plan God has for her and I can guarantee that you will not look back! The second book I finished this week was Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist, I know I blog about her a lot but there are only so many books that a girl can take WITH her to college! *sigh* I highly recommend this book if you love westerns. This book takes place in the late 1800's in Corsicana, Texas. This book follows the life of Essie Spreckelmeyer. Essie is thirty years old and is known as the spinster of the town. Ti. red of waiting for a match made in heaven she decides she will settle for a match made Texas. Join Essie for an exciting journey of a lifetime that will have you laughing and crying for Essie! Both of these books are a truly delightful read! Now I wanted to give you guys a heads up on the books that I am going to blog about in the near future so you can read them too! My next books that I will blog about are The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist, and I am going to finish reading the Daughters of Boston series and the Winds of Change series so I can get those blogs up soon too. In the meantime the only thing I will be doing this week is working on my Sign Language final and working on finishing up this school year!

Love and Romance, Kayla

"In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs."

A wise woman once said, "If I had never met him, I would have dreamed him into being." I just finished reading this book called A Passion Most Pure, I have read this book dozens upon dozens of times and it never fails that no matter how many romance novels I read no matter how many movies I watch, this book never fails to contain my favorite love story of all time. That is saying a lot because I live off romance and this book does everything for me. The book goes somewhat like this without spoiling anything :) She's found the love of her life. Unfortunately, he loves her sister.As World War I rages across the Atlantic in 1916, a smaller war is brewing in Boston. Faith O'Connor finds herself drawn to an Irish rogue who is anything but right for her. Collin McGuire is brash, cocky, and from the wrong side of the tracks, not to mention forbidden by her father. And then there's the small matter that he is secretly courting her younger sister. But when Collin's affections shift, it threatens to tear her proper Boston family apart. I love this book. I love this book more than any I have ever read. If any of you know me you know that I am OBSESSED  with Ireland, well guys, this book is what started it all, even since I read it for the first time my little girl heart secretly pined away for my own "Irish rogue." I think the reason that this book speaks to me in such ways is because I can very much relate to Faith O'Conner, in fact if I lived in 1916 (which I wish I had by the way) I know Faith and I would be best friends. I find myself drawn to this book because I love historical romances and I love that Julie Lessman incorporates God into the book. In most christian romances, romance comes first then the author just throws in that the characters are Christian and walla you have a Christian romance novel but with this book, faith in God is at the forefront of every page and every chapter. The author does a great job with the romances too by the way, I won't lie, I swooned so much while reading this book, secretly praying that God would provide me with my own Collin McGuire. Oh my goodness this book is so good and I recommend it to everyone who loves a passionate romance and I can guarantee you that when you finish reading it, you will wish for your very own Collin McGuire. *swoon*

Love and Romance, Kayla


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P.S the book is the first in a series, don't worry they are all out so you won't have to wait!