Goals revisited

I have diligently been working on my goal list. Slowing but surely I am ticking along.  One change I would like to note is that Josh and I are going to be running in a marathon.  Well, he will be running the marathon and I will be joining the 5K. 

Get Artsy

1.     Finish wedding album

2.    Reprint honeymoon pictures

3.    Fill frames

4.    Take a hobby class

5.    Take a painting class (Just signed up)

6.    Take a photography class to learn how to use our new camera

Get Cultured

7.    Take a language class

8.    Take a dance class

9.    Learn authentic Irish dishes

10.  Go to the Opera House (We saw the High Kings with our friends Erin and Chris)

11.   Watch a River Dance

12.  Go to local museums

Get Educated

13.  Take an art history class

14.  Start my masters

15.  Learn how to sew (In the process of procuring a sewing machine)
16.  Write a children' book

Get Committed

17.  Reinstate weekly date nights (one of the easiest goals to do!)

18.  Web cam with the family twice a month
19.  Get the neighbor's dog, Sammi, to like me (it took a lot of treats, but we are buds)

Get Domestic

20.  Take cooking classes (Rachel Allen and Blue Haven)

21.  Create and stick to a budget

22. Put $200 into savings a month (thank you automatic transfer!)

23.  Make a dessert from scratch

24. Have dinner ready or prepared when Josh gets home (I would say 90% of the time this happens)

Get Involved

25. Donate to a charity (World Vision/Local Pet Shelter)

26. Volunteer time at a charity

27. Raise money for an event

28. Find a place to volunteer 2-3 times a week (Rockbourgh school)

29. Work at Operation Christmas Child with the family

30. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Get Healthy

31. Get back into running (started walking every day and running once a week, I am building up)

32. Focus on rehabilitating my knee

33.  Cut out pop during the week (Done!  Its gone!)

34. Walk to places that are close enough (This one is easy to do because we are 5 minutes walk to the main city centre)

35. Take time to get massages on a more frequent basis

Get Organized

36. Check into PPS number (Done!)

37. Change address with the Department of Immigration (Done!)

38. Change address with the post office (Done!)

39. Get car insurance paper work squared away (Done!)

40. Get Dax and Callie’s move squared away (Done!)

41. Choose wedding pictures to be fixed by Kim (Done! Just waiting on them to get to her!)

Get Covered

42. Get insurance (Done!)

43.  Go to the dentist

44. Get eyes checked/get a physical

Get Social

45. Meet two new friends (Done! But am always welcoming more!)

46. Call or email friends on a weekly basis

47. Call parents and siblings twice a week (or more)

48. Go to the pub and watch the Matches with the locals (We love doing this, we even won a Munster jersey during one of their raffles)

49. Plan a dinner party

50. Join a book club

Get Adventurous

51. Go to Africa

52. Learn how to sail

53.  Learn how to deep sea dive

54. Go backpacking through the Alps

55. Try surfing

 Get Spiritual

56. Experience Irish churches

57. Watch Flatiron’s Web cams

A language barrier...of sorts

When Josh and I decided to make our move to the Island, we knew it would be an adjustment.  But, we weren't as nervous as we may have been if we moved to a country that didn't speak English.  With that being said, there are a few phrases, terms, and spellings that are different from our own.  Some of them I really enjoy and hope to start incorporating in my own repertoire and some of them are good for a laugh.


Irish/English term:

Row/Argument or fight
Good crack/good fun (this one took some getting use to as you could probably tell what we thought they were referencing)
Rubber/pencil eraser (I learned this term when my friend told me the way she met her husband from the States.  She was sitting in class and asked if she could borrow his rubber.  You could imagine his surprise... and hers)
Suits you/alright with you
Losing a Stone/measurement of weight - 14 pounds (this one was confusing when all the magazines had advice for losing a quick stone, I thought it was weird that people kept track of rocks, and needed advice on how to lose them)
Queue/getting or waiting in line
Negotiating/a way of moving or getting around
Langer or Desperate Langer/d*** head or drunk
Gobshite/idiot
Ask me arse/mind your business
Mind/watch
Minder/babysitter
Blarney/nonsense
Jumper/Sweater
Feck or Feckers/used instead of the F word
Your partner/spouse (this was another one where I wondered if people thought I was batting for the other side when they would ask about my partner versus my husband)
Jaysus/Jesus (I like the way this one is pronounced)
Nappies/diapers
Off license/liquor store
Whilst/while 
If you ask someone to do something and they respond: "Yeah I will yeah," it means that they have no intention of doing it. The Irish are known to be none confrontational. 

There are so many differences, and some phrases can be figured out within the context of the conversation.  Occasionally I run into a person who speaks "old Irish."  When that happens, I smile and nod and we both know I have no clue as to what they are talking about:)

Beer, Chocolate, and other delights

For Josh's birthday we took a long weekend and spent it enjoying one of his favorite things...beer.  What better place is there to go then Belgium?  A place known for its delicious fodder.   We arrived early evening, and spent the twilight beer tasting and exploring the Grand Place.  On day two, we traveled to Ghent and Bruges and learned much about the political strife that divides this country.  Our last day was spent in Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world.

Shop selling over 250 beers.  Josh was in Heaven!

This is chocolate shaped like Brussels' famous whiz kid. 

Grand Place at night.  We wished we were there to see the infamous flower carpet.  Other then here, Brussels is very industrial.  We appreciate the tips to plan on venturing outside of Brussels during our stay.

The Grand Place was recently voted Most Beautiful Square.  It certainly was Grand, although we were never here during the day.

It was during this tasting that I discovered all the wonders of Cherry Beer.  Yum!

The Birthday Boy!

Grand Place in the background, surrounded by Belgium flags.

We found the Manneken Pis or Whiz Kid.  Josh is mimicking him.  We learned that if you find him during one of his costume changes, he pees beer.

Delicious waffles!

Celebrating our first night in Belgium.

In front of a canal in Ghent.

Ghent castle.

Charming cobbled footpaths.  On this trip, we learned that Nationalism is not characteristic of Belgium.  The people don't reference themselves as Belgians, but rather are defined by the language they speak: French or Dutch.  Really the only thing that unites the people is a sports team.

Even though we weren't in Ghent during the "Light the Night" festival, it was fun to experience the setup.  We first thought this was a massive lamp sale.

The Lake of Love. 

In the 18th century, the houses in the background belong to a convent of women who lived there while their men were off at war.  As you can see the are more relaxed on who they let in.

We felt like this statue pretty much summed up the way handsome cabs went through the city.

I always thought chocolate was chocolate.  I was wrong!

Church of Our Lady

In the Church of Our Lady, there is a piece of cloth believed to contain Christ's Blood.  People are lined up to touch the encased tube and to say a prayer.

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.

View from the Belfry.  The Belfry is featured in the movie In Bruge, we all know what happened here.  For some reason the picture of the actual Belfry wouldn't download.

We went to Salvador Dali's art gallery.  Dali is known for his famous dripping clock.   

Antwerp's train station

The beginning of the shopping area.  So magnificent!

We also visited Rubens House.  Peter Paul Rubens famous for works such as this one: The Decent from the Cross. 

The largest Cathedral in Belgium

Thank you Trish, Hallie, and Krista for the excellent advice.  You made our trip all the sweeter!