A House Full

Just recently Josh and I were in for a hosting treat!  We entertained Josh's brother Zach and his three friends (Tom, Jeff and Eric).  With the boys, we experienced Kinsale's nightlife, visited pubs that are listed in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (The Spaniard and The Bulman), went to a Hurling match (my new favorite sport), and spent time at Charles Fort.  Later, while the boys were still with us, Stephen and Julie came to join the fun.  We all packed into our "barely there" cars to the Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle.  Once the boys left for home, Stephen, Julie, Josh and I went to Dingle, Cobh, and shopped Kinsale.

Zach, Tom, Jeff, and Eric at the Charles Fort Entrance.

At the fort, Zach and Jeff, peering towards the ocean.

Men!

Jeff and Tom at Old Head golf coarse.  We didn't golf, but we did go on a hike along the cliffs.

Bro and I at Old Head.

The Cliffs of Moher.  Pictures do not do this site justice.  These cliffs are over 750 feet high.

Bro and Julie

Frame-able!

Bros!

The boys.  As you can see in the background, this sign doesn't stop anyone from continuing the hike.  Onward we saw breathtaking views!

Boys on the ledge.  Lining the cliffs are thousands of birds that made their homes in the grooves.

Night out in Doolin.  We were at this pub from 3pm until...well I'm not sure!

The whole lot of us!

The next day we tried to visit the Aran Islands, but the waves were to high for the ferry.  Blarney Castle was the next best thing.  Here's Stephen kissing the infamous stone!

The beginning of Gentleman's Hour.  An hour where whiskey is consumed and the men solve all of life's biggest quandaries.  The men even dressed for the event! 

While the men were enjoying their gentlemanly time, Julie and I were working on our April Fools project.  We stitched the sleeves of their jackets.  We also dipped their toothbrushes in salt.  But for some reason, after drinking Jameson, they didn't seem to notice the salt.

In the boat at the Dingle Coast.  Little did we know that this trip was solely based on harassing Fungi, the local dolphin.  The driver chased him for about an hour.  Again, the moral of the story is to ask questions before buying tickets.

Lighthouse!

Fungi, the dolphin!

I feel like this sign is suggesting I run pedestrians off of the road.

Fungi capsized our ship:)

Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call before sinking.

I am missing a ton of pictures.  Once I get some from the boys and Stephen, I will post a more complete picture of our time together.
Josh and I feel so lucky that our families get along so well.  We loved every minute and were sad to say goodbye.  Dax and Callie still check upstairs every morning, hoping to find all of their new favorites.  We love you guys and can't wait for your return (hint, hint)!

Up next:  Amsterdam!

Me encanta Barcelona

We loved Barcelona!  We loved the sunshine, architecture, sunshine, shopping, sunshine, tapas, and the sunshine.

On this trip I vowed to learn as little as possible, the goal was to truly soak up the sun.  However, we did take a tour and accidentally discovered a few interesting facts.  Despite being an old city, the Barcelona you will see below is relatively new.  Once a fortified city with poor living conditions, Barcelona is now known for many works of art from inspired architects, delicious tapas, over-sized cathedrals, enchanted parks, sandy beaches, and the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Below are pictures around town, the beach, and our favorite tour through Antoni Gaudi's famous park and church.  The pictures don't do it justice, imagine it sparkling and you'll get somewhere close.

Where the Running of the Bull's begin. 

View from the top.

This was a small authentic Catalonian town.  Very cute but moral of this story is to ask questions before buying tickets.

Part of Gaudi's park, his goal is to create lines that occur naturally.

Beyond the trees you can see a bench inspired by a sea serpent slithering through the water.  The color comes from recycled glass.

Gaudi's first supporter was Salvador Dali.  Can you see Dali's mustache?

Again, all the color you see is mosaic.

The dragon.

Side view.

Guell park entrance.

Closer view.  You could probably tell that I am entranced by Gaudi's work!

Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's most impressive work.  Construction on this cathedral began in 1882 and has yet to be completed.  I can't even begin to describe the intricacies of this building.  Every inch is carved in figures and symbols and atop each spire is a bundle of mosaic fruit.

You can see when we were there, construction forges on.  Our friends Jason and Julie were in Barcelona last summer, when visitors weren't allowed inside.  The cathedral is constantly evolving for tourist as crews carry out Gaudi's original vision. 

Look at the detail beyond the figures.

Again, look at how Gaudi uses lines found in nature.  Instead of the traditional columns and arches, he uses trees and branches.

All in the details.

 

The pier.

Oh the sun!  I love the sun!

Up next: a house full and Amsterdam

St. Paddy's Day

History of St. Patrick's Day:

Dear Saint Patrick is one of the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland.  He is celebrated for bringing Christianity to Ireland.  The 17th marks the day of his death and is a religious holiday.  So why all the drinking?  St. Patrick's Day also signifies the end of Lenten restrictions.  Josh and I learned that quickly that dressing in green is more of an "American" thing to do.  After talking with many Irish we discovered that Paddy's day parades grew in Ireland to increase tourism, a good Irishmen starts the day in church and ends in the pub.

Realizing we are the suckers in green!

Drinking 7-Up because it came in a green bottle and loving that I am in green!

Lots and lots of these.

We have very few pictures of this day.  Josh and I started light with anything green, ran into friends and had a few drinks with them, went to dinner with friends and had some more drinks, and ended with live music with more friends and more drinks.  You get the idea.

Up next: Barcelona and visitors

Brooklynn's Birthday

I can't believe it!  Baby Brooklynn is THREE!  I really enjoyed being apart of the birthday celebration.  Brooklynn was her usual form of cuteness and I never feel like there is enough time to soak up both Brooklynn and Chandler's adorableness.
The festivities started when I got in on Saturday and the girls were already sacked out from their previous partying.  We decided to go to Three Margaritas, where the waiters put a sombrero on Brooky's head.  She was slightly nervous, but when the Spanish version of Happy Birthday was over, and familiar singing commenced, Brooklynn was elated to hit a birthday chord with the wait staff.  On Sunday, Stephen and Julie, had a small birthday.  Brooklynn loved thanking all of the "darlings" for her presents.  I miss these little ladies like crazy!  I love you Brooklynn and Chandler!

World's largest sombrero.

Pre-birthday treats.

Chandler is equally excited for the big event.

I just had to add this sweet face!

Brooklynn and Chandler getting ready for the upcoming festivities.  Brooklynn is wearing two princess dresses for her big day!

I could just snuggle her all day!

My little "Nosy Rosy" reader.  I love that she wears her hat just like Nosy Rosy!

Also a book lover :)

Singing Happy Birthday and enjoying the amazing cake her momma made!


I only got a day with my favorite girls.  I hate leaving them, but I love knowing at this point they remember both Josh and I.  We know we will have many more memories with these two.

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:)