Away From it All

Over the weekend Hubs and I visited a lovely secluded hotel in Cork. It was just what we needed - a break from the hustle and bustle and a breath of fresh air.

Let Agreed

It's official! Hubs and I are movin' on up - out of our tiny one bed apartment and into a slightly bigger two bed (in the same neighborhood)! The lease was signed yesterday and we couldn't be happier to begin moving into our new place in just two short weeks. Pictures to come!

Lovely Dublin Weekend

Another lovely Dublin weekend out and about for hubs and I! We didn't do much but weekend flew by anyway. Saturday night we participated in a pub-quiz at the Waterloo to benefit a friend of Hubs going to India with Habitat for Humanity. With the help of Simon and Liz (and not much help from yours truly) we won first place! We proudly took home the bottle of [cheap] Brut champagne... yum!

Saturday was pretty low key. We strolled through the city stopping in a few shops, and even ran into good friends Larry and Beth! Ha! Small city :-) We took a pit stop for a bite to eat at one of Dubliner's top rated spots Lolly and Cooks. The sandwich was just okay, but the lemon cupcake after (I know - totally not on the diet plan!) was divine!!

Pausing to admire the pretty door/bird/plant

While walking back home I was drawn to the local flower man and these glorious sunflowers! Just €10... They are now sitting on the kitchen table. Lovely :-)

Sunday we decided to take a walk (turned out to be a very looong walk) to scope out prospective apartments. Our lease is up soon and we've been lurking on daft.ie so we were curious to see where our favorites were actually located. One of the places we liked was very near the Irish Sea, so we took a stroll down Sandymount Strand.

Sitting on the rocks by the Sea... Ahhhh...

By the time we got home it started to rain and we were famished, so we didn't feel one bit bad staying in the rest of the evening and watching a few episodes of the last season of the Sopranos courtesy of Larry and Beth!

Now that's how to have a very pleasant weekend and not spend more than €20.

A Weighty Issue

It's official. I have gained almost 10 lbs since we moved here last September. I am not a happy camper. Granted, I know I came here a little underweight, and this extra 10 pounds doesn't put me overweight by any means. But this is my blog and I'll complain if I want to! I knew I'd put on a few extra when my jeans started to get tight. Never a good sign. I need to face the facts. I have been eating way too much sugar, and not working out hard enough. Sooooo, time for action. No sugar for me for the next little while and time to amp up the exercise. This is my public statement, so if you see me pop a chocolate in my mouth you have permission smack me. Off to find something healthy for lunch now...

Hunger

Last night Hubs and I finally got around to watching Hunger, the film about Bobby Sands and the hunger strike in the 1980s in Nor'n Ireland. I have to say, I was a little afraid to watch it, because, it's one of those movies that you already know the ending and, well, it's depressing.

It was definitely depressing but incredibly well done. There is a scene in particular that I thought was amazing. It was where Bobby is talking to the priest about his decision to go on the strike. You can tell that the whole 15 minute scene was done in one take, with one camera. Really powerful stuff. I also found myself holding my breath because I could so easily imagine the stench of the prison cells... I definitely recommend the film. Go rent it. But I suggest not eating popcorn and chocolate during... you will feel bad.

Our Very American Date

Note: the following activities are not recommended for tourists.

Hubs and I were missing home a bit last weekend so our Saturday was filled with some of the things we associate with our home country.

We decided to take a short train ride to the Dundrum Town Centre which boasts the only American-like mall that I know of in Ireland (aka: lots of stores, shops, a cinema and restaurants in one big building). We first walked around the mall dreaming about buying a TV and an i-pod docking station (neither of which we have - yes, we are living in the dark ages). After a couple hours of that we went to see the much anticipated Brüno.

The movie was exactly what we expected. Same format as his last movie, Borat, and even more lude, ridiculous and offensive! My jaw was pretty much on the floor throughout the whole movie - but I still thought it was hilarious. I just don't get how this wasn't an 18 and up film! There was a ton of full frontal and I sure as heck wouldn't want my 16 year old kid watching it! Yikes!

After the movie we got dinner at the famous TGI Friday's to round out our very American day. It wasn't very good though :-( I had a mushy veggie burger and Justin had a regular burger. He wasn't very impressed with his either.

At about 7 pm we walked home in the very Irish rain. All in all it was a great day with my hubby (who, by the way, I've been married to for 10 months today!) !

60 things.... copied and pasted from Beth

The following survey was lovingly copied from my dear friend Beth's blog. I got sick of looking at my previous depressing post!

60 Things You Can’t Possibly Know About Me

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
No car.

2. When was the last time you threw up?
About a month ago from a tiny bout of the flu

3. What’s your favorite word or phrase?
Certainly.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Hubs, my sister (via email), and a guy that delivered our new boardroom table at work. That one was probably a fake smile though.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Just getting up.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Downloading a new sitemap to our webmaster

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
No.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
Cool, thanks.

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal cookie chunk (sadly it's in the flavour graveyard now) :(

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water.

12. What are you wearing right now?
Skinny jeans, rolled up, birks, a coral t-shirt and black cardi

13. What was the last thing you ate?
Strawberry yogurt

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I bought shoes from Karen Millen last Sunday (they were 70% off!!)

15. When was the last time you ran?
I don't run so much anymore. I walk. I frequently run across the street though. I hate waiting for the pedestrian green light.

16. What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Hub's football game

17. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I want to go to Italy right now, and stay for 2 weeks.

19. Ever go camping?
I love not camping. I did love it back in the day though!!

20. Have you ever lost anything down a toilet?
Um, yes, actually last weekend I dropped my phone in a toilet at Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. And I stuck my hand in to retrieve it. It was the grossest thing ever, but my phone survived. Don't worry it's been disinfected!!

22. What is your guilty pleasure?
What isn’t? I love to read teen fiction, and watch sappy chick flicks, and will flip through any magazine ever printed. And eat chocolate while doing all of these things. (Beth - I'm leaving your answer because it is perfect!)

23. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot?
All. The. Time. :-D

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
If I have the choice, I always opt for a straw.

25. What did your last text message say?
"OK hubs, love u!"

26. Are you someone’s best friend?
Yes.

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Going for a walk with Kara in the morn, then going to Dundrum for some shopping and a movie

28. Where is your mom right now?
Probably at her house. She has Fridays off, the lucky thing.

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
Susan's desk and other office type things.

30. What color is your watch?
Silver

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Justin's Aunt Di - one of the most awesome people I've ever met!

32. Ever ridden on a roller coaster?
Yes. A small one that Rob tried to tell me was “tiny” and then really wasn’t.

33. Birthstone?
Topaz. I used to hate it but I really love it now! P.S. Beth, pearls are awesome and so classic!

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through?
Car or not, we normally go in.

35. Do you have any friends on Facebook that you actually hate?
No.

36. Do you have a dog?
No, not enough room in our place :(

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Boardroom table guy

38. Have you met anyone famous?
Yes.

39. Any plans today?
Finnish work, go home eat curry for dinner and watch a movie.

40. From whom did you get this?
Stole it from Beth

41. Are you happy?

Yes.

42. Where are you right now?
In the office

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
My J-O-B

44. Last song listened to?
I don't remember.

45. Last movie you saw?
The Jane Austen Book Club, and I loved it!

46. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope, not to my knowledge.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
My birks are becoming my faves. They are the most comfortable shoes I own. I also enjoy my yellow patent flats.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Not really.

49. Are you married?
Yes.

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
I couldn't possibly know that.

51. What time is it?
4:44 GMT.

52. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes.

53. Do you eat healthy?
I try to, but sometimes I fall off the wagon!

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Work.

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
No.

56. Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily?

I would say I do most days

57. How many kids do you want when you’re older?
As many as I’m meant to have.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
26

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Nope - Cedar Point is where it's at!

60. How did you get one of your scars?
Bunionectomy

He would be 18 today...

My brother James, that is. My mom had James when I was 7 years old, and he came three weeks early - seemingly the picture of health. After a short while the doctors realised something was wrong and whisked him away for tests. They found out he had a serious heart defect that would require open heart surgery when he was a fragile two weeks old. He died on the operating table that day, but in his two weeks of life he was loved and held, sung to and rocked by his mom and dad and sisters.

It's best not to try to understand why things like this happen, but to hope that one day we'll meet again in a better place.

Happy Birthday, little angel!

My dad, the hero

I know - another post about my dad so soon after Father's Day! But the following event is just too amazing not to share... in my dad's words....

"Last week a friend and co-worker came in to work and had a heart attack at the time clock. It was a team effort, but I placed the pad of the AED on him. He was in fibrillation. I shocked him once, then did 4 cycles of CPR. Thank God he came back to us. Stressful, but thankful of how it turned out. They e-vacted him to GR, inserted a stint and is doing well now (except for the crack ribs) Just did what I was trained to do."

I'm so proud of him! Not many people would be able to be so calm under pressure.... Also, hats off to the other guys responsible for helping to resuscitate the heart-attack victim.

Here's another picture of the man of the hour. This photo was taken at the Grand Rapids Airport when my dad returned back from his time in Iraq.

Date Night

It had been a while since the Hubs and I had a designated date night at a nice restaurant so we decided we would start dressing up and going out the last weekend of every month (haha, that's when payday is). Last night was the start of our new tradition; we decided on Hugo's on Marion Row. We've passed by this quaint restaurant with the light turquoise front multiple times, and have been meaning to go for a while. Oh - I should also tell you what I wore, because I had it planned out for the whole week!

Royal blue Banana Republic shift dress

Black tights

Cream heels (tall mary janes) from Topshop

Long string of pearls

Nice, no?

So, back to Hugo's. We stepped inside and were very impressed by the "old world" atmosphere. In fact, it was so old world that it was literally boiling in there! No air conditioning (per usual in Dublin). We didn't complain much about that, though, and enjoyed the chilled white wine, which cooled us down a bit. We both had the calamari to start (which we agreed was the best part of this visit) and then hubs had the steak and I had the duck for our mains. We weren't blown away, but it was pretty tasty all in all. We didn't linger in the restaurant too long because of the heat, so we got the check and went for a stroll through Stephen's Green and down Grafton St.

At this point, we were so satisfied... we were full of yummy food, enjoying the wonderful weather and each other's company. And then... as we were coming up Dawson St. past Hodgis Figgus (a great bookstore) Justin got stopped by an older Irish gent who started talking about one of the books in the window. After about 15 minutes, I walked over to gather my husband and move on, but this guy would NOT stop talking! We tried to leave, by saying politely "we better be going..." etc. but he would keep us there by saying "oh, just one more thing." He mentioned how he loves Americans, probably because they are too polite to say "SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE, MAN!" Like an Irish person would no doubt do. So, after listening to this man's monologue for about 50 minutes total we were finally able to escape. What a pleasant end to our date night!

One with Nature

After a two+ year hiatus from practicing yoga, I am back at it. And let me tell you, it feels great. Yoga is the best way to relax naturally and relive tension you didn't even know you had. The best part about this particular class is that it is outdoors! What better way to meditate than breathing in the fresh air in a gorgeous setting. Also a bonus: the instructor, Matt, is wonderful! He does classes at both Herbert Park (very close to my work and home) and Stephen's Green (in the city centre) a few days a week and on Saturdays. I am standing taller and breathing easier already :-)

Most Valuable Husband - I mean Player

Congratulations to my super athletic husband for winning the title of MVP for his season of American Football at Trinity College. I am so proud! My hubby managed to balance a full time PhD, 2 part time jobs and a [sometimes needy] wife for 8 months straight!

Love you baby!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the best Dad I know. A dad that just married married off both daughters within 9 months time. A dad that has been mercilessly picked on by a female dominated household for 25 years (Even our pets were girls)! A dad that taught me to horseback ride, how to defend myself (using ME as the test dummy!), how to survive in the wilderness... and countless other life lessons. Here's to you Dad, thank for all the great memories. I love you :-)

St. Patrick's Day at Z's 2008

The boys enjoying a Christmas Cigar in 2007

A family Vacation to Yosemite, 2000(?)

Chasing Sunshine

If you didn't know already, Ireland has been basking in the glorious sun for about a week now. That's 7 DAYS without rain. Or clouds for that matter! Some say that was our summer and to prepare for a June, July & August of rain and mist. Well, I'm not quite ready for summer to be over, so if you need me I'll be chasing the sunshine to Michigan, USA. 

P.S. Yes, it is 4:45 in the morning here. I am too excited to sleep. In a matter of hours I get to see some of my favorite people on Earth:

If you're wondering why we're wearing the same shirts

This was my mom & dad's 25th anniversary trip to Chicago

(Picture taken at Train Station in Battle Creek)

This is Bliss

This is the epitome of our bank holiday weekend. Lots of sun and relaxation! This is the life!!

Woe is Me

I woke up with a headache that has not gone away.  And now the cleaning lady is in the office making all sorts of noise and wearing more perfume than any person should ever wear. 

I really just want Friday, June 5th to be here already. That is my magic day.

Hopefully my trip to the gym will get some enorphins flowing and make me a happy person again.

My new Nickname

So, I have a new nickname, given to me by one of my very dear friends, Liz. I know you're dying to know what it is:

Meggles.

Love it!

Thanks Liz! Also, Thanks for inviting me to your awesome Hen Party in Copenhagen. I loved every bit of it!

Finally en route to Denmark after a 5 hour delay!

Lovely Copenhagen

The ABCs of moi

Stolen from Liz and Beth :-)

Artistic Talent: Let's put it this way, In eighth grade my BFF Laura and I made a lemon still life out of Styrofoam. I also made an awesome paper mache giraffe that won first prize at the Ionia Free Fair, and someone wanted to buy it. Hmm... maybe I should rethink my career choice...

Birthplace: Grand Rapids, MI

Career Aspirations at Age 6: I wanted to be a movie star, of course. My sister wanted to be "the sister of a famous movie star." I think she had the right idea - leech off someone else's fame and fortune!

Dreams, Recurring: I remember one particular one that a werewolf was chasing me through an old warehouse... frightening!

Elementary School, name of: Boyce, Jefferson, & Rather. Same town, though.

Fabrics and Materials, favorite to wear on body: Anything that is 100% natural. Polyester is the devil.

Gym, work out at one?: Sure do. It's called Jackie Skelly. Sounds pretty girlie huh? 

Happy Memory: Weekends at "the property," summer deck nights at mom & dad's, my wedding day. Sorry, I can't pick just one.

Introvert or Extrovert?: I can't pick. Some days I'm an extrovert and others I'm an absolute introvert.

Jewelry/Trinkets Worn Regularly: The only piece of jewelry I wear regularly is my engagement ring and wedding band

Killer App, Favorite: Olive oil and bread

Latest Book Read: Just finished We Need To Talk About Kevin - excellent read.

Medications (Rx), regular: None at the moment

Nickname(s), current: Meg, and a million other variations of Megan

Operating System of Choice (for desktop): Windows XP (Suck it, Vista.) <--------- exactly, Liz.

Pets, current: None, that's sad.

Q-word, favorite: Quite

Role Models, current: Grandma Terry and mom & dad

Sleepwear, typical: Pajama bottoms and a cami or t-shirt

Typing Speed: I have no clue. But I don't not type with my fingers on the right keys which probably hinders my performance.

University Degree(s): Bachelor of Science in Interpersonal & Public Communication

Vegetarian, are you one: I love eating animals.

Weather, favorite: Sunny, dry, and 75 degrees Farenheit

X-e's you're on speaking terms with, numbers/percentage of: Zero.

Yard/Rummage Sales, do you go?: Love them! You never know what treasures you'll find.

Zen Moments: Being on a boat on Higgin's Lake. At the end of the day in hubs' arms.

Home Sweet Home

Things I can't wait to do/eat/see when I'm back in Michigan in June (in no particular order)

• Jimmy Johns Beach Club
• Little Caesar's Hot & Ready pizza
• Deck night with mom & dad
• Meeting baby Penelope
• Kelly's wedding
• Target
• Meijer
• Banana Republic
• Wendy's
• On the Border 
• Edy's slow churned ice cream
• Warm weather
• Lake Michigan

Hurry up and get here, June!!

I Live for the Weekend

And now for the update you've all been waiting for...

Hubs and I had an exceptional long Easter weekend.  For me, the weekend started on Thursday night when CM and I went to see a movie. We meant to go see Two Lovers...

But I totally screwed up and got the times wrong. Silly me. There weren't many other choices so we ended up seeing The Boat that Rocked.

Which CM had already seen. I felt like such a dummy. Anyway - it was a pretty good movie. Funny and different from anything I've seen recently. All you stateside friends will have to wait until August to judge for yourself :-) (Finally, a movie I can see BEFORE you!)

Friday was another great day. Woke up to do some cleaning (boring I know, but seeing as I'm domestically disabled, I like to point these things out). Went for an awesome lunch with KD and new friend LT at Roly's cafe which turned out to be both inexpensive and delicious (a rarity in these parts)! We decided we were not done enjoying each others company so we wandered into town (but not without some photos along the way...)

Pretty cherry tree on Baggot St.

KD, LT & myself

We had a wonderful afternoon wandering around the shops on and around Grafton St.  We even got free makeovers from the Bare Minerals people at BT2! KD, being the social butterfly that she is, had to run off to another engagement, but LT and I started the quest to find alcohol on Good Friday (the whole city is dry on this day) we are fully aware of the sinners that we are! We were unsuccessful in our mission, so we went back to LT's apartment where there was beer and wine aplenty. I meant to stay for a short while... but was having too much fun with the Googlers.

Eventually I made it home (via taxi) and hoped that my head wouldn't hurt too badly for Hub's football game the next day!

Thankfully I woke up with only a mild headache and sour stomach the next day, and since it was self inflicted, I didn't complain. Time for the big game! I made the trip to Santry (all the way in BFE) with KH's brother (also KH). Thankfully it was perfect weather for a good ol' American football game (I'm sort of a fair-weather fan). The Trinity boys lost the game but will play UCD again two more times in the next couple of weeks.  I think they can pull it off!

Easter Sunday we were invited to join KD & TB for a lovely Easter dinner (along with TB's mom and sister). KD was the perfect hostess, serving up delicious lamb and salmon. YUM! I made sure to inform everyone that the lamb we were eating was a male. Apparently, 

farmers only need one ram per 50 sheep, so the little boy lambs are the poor cute things taken to slaughter. So cute, but so delicious.

 

We sent the boys out to Kiely's to get ice, but I guess they had to make it fresh... it took them about an hour to get home. 

TB & Hubs (out for ice)

Thank you for a wonderful time! It's people like you that make being away from family on holidays much more bearable.

Most of Monday (had work off this day as well) was spent cleaning and relaxing, not to mention dreading the workweek, albeit a short one, ahead. 

And now it's almost the weekend again - hooray!! 

Megology

Due to a lack of inspiration: A fun survey completed by yours truly. YOU do it too!

Let others know a bit more about yourself, re-post this as 'ology' followed by your name.

FOODOLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice?
Ranch (Hidden Valley) and boy do I miss it!

What is your favourite sit down restaurant?
Maia

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Ice cream

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
I love a slice loaded with yummy veggies, but particularly enjoy mushroom, tomato, feta & spinach

What do you put on your toast?
These days butter and honey. I've also been known to spread peanut butter and  add sliced bananas. 

TECHNOLOGY

How many televisions are in your house?
ZERO

What color cell phone do you have?
Black with a little bit of blue

Do you have an iPod?
Yes, I've been meaning to update it, actually.

BIOLOGY

Are you right or left-handed?
Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A mole from my arm when I was a baby

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Ummm... I carried home a pretty heavy bag of groceries the other day. 

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Yes. It was not my finest moment. I was playing flag football in 9th grade gym class and accidentally ran into the wall.

BULLOLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Nope not one bit.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Although I don't love my name, I would never change it. It's part of who I am :-)

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
You bet.

DUMBOLOGY?

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
I used to own several in college. Now I'm down to one pair. And I only wear them at the beach.

Last time you had a run in with the cops?
I can't even remember.

Last person you talked to?
I just spoke with my boss via the phone

Last person you hugged?
Hubs, this morning when I was leaving for work.

FAVORITOLOGY

Season?
Autumn. I hate that winter comes after it, but love everything else about the season. The smells, the temperature, the colours, I could go on and on!

Holiday?
Thanksgiving

Day of the week?
Friday nights are my fave! The whole weekend is ahead :-)

CURRENTOLOGY

Missing someone?
Always!

Mood?
Mostly happy 

What are you listening to?
Just people moving around upstairs

Watching?
The clouds roll in and the pretty tree in bloom outside my office window.

Worrying about?
The Irish budget

RANDOMOLOGY

First place you went this morning?
Off to work at 9am

What is the last movie you saw?
In the Cinema - Doubt with Meryl Streep (excellent, by the way!) On DVD - Singin' in the Rain

Do you smile often?
Yes, I'm American

Sleeping Alone Tonight?
No :-)

OTHER-OLOGY

Do you always answer your phone?
Generally, unless I'm with a friend. It would be rude to answer, in my opinion.

4:00 in the morning and you get a text. Who is it?
I don't get texts at the hour. My husband, on the other hand may be getting one from one of the boys... most likely Kieran.

If you could change your eye colour, what color would it be?
I would love it if my eyes were a bit more green

What flavour do you add to your drink at Sonic?
Orange cream slush rocks my world

Do you own a digital camera?
Yes.

Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes. They are boring. Unless you have a huge salt water aquarium and someone to take care of it.

Favourite Christmas song?
Silent Night

What's on your wishlist for your birthday?
My birthday isn't for a while. But I imagine I'd like to forgo a gift and go on a trip.

Can you do pushups?
Yup

Chinups?
Like, one.

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Excited

Do you have any saved texts?
If I do, it's not on purpose.

Ever been in a car wreck?
Yes. My little Saturn was totaled 

Do you have an accent?
I sure do. Representing the Mid-west

What is the last song that made you cry?
Probably our wedding song. DMB Steady as we Go

Plans tonight?
Gym, them home, dinner and relax time

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
No

Name 3 things you bought yesterday
I don't think I bought anything! Amazing!

Have you ever been given roses?
Yes

Current hate right now?
This budget ordeal

Met someone who changed your life?
I think all people we meet do, in a way.

How will you bring in the New Year?
Who knows, that's ages away

What song represents you?
I couldn't say. 

Name three people that will complete this?
Liz, Kara & Beth?

Would you go back in time, given the chance?
Absolutely

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year straight?
Sure have

Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
Yes, a small shamrock on my lower back

Will you be in a relationship four months from now?
Yes

Does anyone love you?
Yes

Would you be a pirate?
In a second

What songs do you sing in the shower?
Hahaha. I can't believe I'm admitting this but recently I've been waking up with the Winnie the Pooh theme song in my head... "Gotta get up, gotta get going, gonna see a friend of mine..."

Ever had someone sing to you?
Yes, several people

When did you last cry?
I don't remember

Do you like to cuddle?
LOVE it

Have you held hands with anyone today?
Not yet

Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Probably Justin

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
Whatever was on the radio while I was on the bus or in the car

Do you believe in staying close with your ex's?
No

Are most of your friends new or old?
Both!

Do you like pulp in your orange juice?
No, I hate chewing my orange juice.

What is something your friends make fun of you for?
This list is endless, and not limited to friends, but also family and colleagues!

Don't drink and blog

Oops. Too late. I'm breaking my rule. I am waiting for Justin to come home from football/ the gym after a day of errands and (of course) a wander down Grafton St. I sometimes forget to eat when I am out and about so the lovely Pinot Grigio I am sipping is going straight to my head! Originally, I was planning on cleaning the house after I went to the gym this morning but the sun was out. And when the sun is out in Ireland you do not stay inside and clean. That's my personal mantra anyway. 

I was almost home when I heard a little old woman yell down to me from her building steps, "excuse me, miss, can you help me?" I love little old ladies, so was quick to oblige - when I went up the stairs to meet her I found out that she needed someone to zip up the back of her top, as she was going out to a fancy dinner. I went inside and found out her name is Mary and she's 75. She was bright, bubbly and very smiley. I instantly liked her.  She has lived all over the world... Manhattan, San Diego, Vienna, London; and is from the West of Ireland. I left telling her that she looked beautiful and to give a shout if she ever needs me to zip her top again. I really hope we meet again soon. I think we could be good friends.

Celebrating Spring

The past couple of days spring has most definitely sprung here in Dublin. Flowers are in full bloom, the buds on trees are turning into baby leaves, the birds are happily chirping and the sun doesn't set until 8 pm.  So today, when I could get no one to join me for lunch in Stephen's Green, I celebrated on my own. By buying a very sweet pair of black peep toed heels from Office. I needed new black shoes for work as my current shoes are in a horrid state. The streets of this city eat my shoes! So, see below for the most recent addition to my shoe collection. Are they not lovely?

Fun with Meg and Just

We have had a a most enjoyable weekend and as usual, it went by way too fast. Friday night was unexpectedly fun as we decided to go to a pub near our house called 51 for a beer and a burger. Normally on Friday nights we stay in, too exhausted from the workweek to do anything, but we managed to stay awake and enjoy one another's company.

Saturday we both got up early and went to our respective gyms. I am so proud of myself as I haven't been to the gym on a weekend in forever! Since the weather was nice, we decided to hop on the DART and go to Howth, a pretty little fishing town. We walked down the west pier and admired the marina. We were very happy to see the seals were lingering about near the docks waiting for fish to be thrown in by tourists just having visited one of the local seafood shops. We lunched at a restaurant called DEEP, where we each had the best seafood chowder ever in life! It wasn't too thick and was chock full of salmon, mussels, prawns, and I believe one other fish... absolutely divine. I would have been satisfied with just that but we had a huge deep seafood platter after - smoked salmon, calamari, prawns, salad, crab cakes... YUM! Our intention was to be back to D4 in time to watch the 6 nations Ireland v. Wales match, but we didn't quite make it, although we did keep tabs on the score.  Way to go Ireland!!

Me and my new friends!

Howth

Sunday, of course Justin had football practice, so I went to Grafton St. to see the lovely spring stock... Karen Millen has some really lovely pieces out right now - and good sales too! I managed to get my hand on some really cute patent yellow flats. I've been looking for a pair for a while and these are just perfect! They are the icing on the cake of a pretty perfect weekend.

Karen Millen shoes

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Since I'll be a bit preoccupied with guests on the actual day (March 7th), I'm going to wish my beautiful mother a fantastic 50th birthday a few days early.

Mom & Dad's 25th Anniversary trip to Chicago (Shirt reads "Aug. 6 1982")

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! You are such an amazing, strong, passionate individual. I want to be just like you when I grow up. See you soon!!!

Love, 

your Meggie-two-shoes

Huger, South Carolina

Here's how it works:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first randomWikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or something similar to put it all together.

5 - Put the result (or result) on your blog

Your turn!!

Watch out, Dublin!

I am so excited I could just pee myself! Three of my most favorite ladies in the the world are coming to visit us in less than two days! My mom,  sister, and aunt Carol will arrive in Dublin at 7:55 am on Friday morning. Dublin Ladies: Will you post your favorite tourist "must do in Dublin?" 

Aunt Carol, Mom (Mary)

Kelly Jo

High maintenance doesn't begin to cover it

I have to do a little product rave because I was just on Anne Taintor's website looking for gift ideas and remembered how much I LOVE her stuff. It never fails to make me smile and all of the products make excellent gifts! They offer magnets, pill boxes, note pads, luggage tags, etc - each with a different funny blip and vintage picture. Here are a couple of my faves:

Dublin girls: you can get her stuff at Avoca! In the states I've found Ann Taintor trinkets at bookstores and boutiques :-)

Grumpy Girl

I'm sorry. I can't contain it anymore. I. Hate. My. Job. I know I should be thankful to have one in this godforsaken economy, but can't I be thankful and not happy at the same time? Why do I dislike it, you ask? Because it is painfully boring, mostly. I basically put myself to sleep writing the marketing pieces. The other thing is that my job is very lonely. I am the one and only marketing person, so I have no one to bounce ideas off of, and I work with all men on top of that. In fact, most of the people in the software industry are men - I have nothing against men, but a little yin and yang would be nice. 

I was extra grumpy this morning and wasn't very nice to hubs. I feel like I'm starting to get envious that he is so passionate about what he's doing, while I'm miserable at work. I don't want to start resenting him for loving what he does, because I think it's fantastic that he's pursuing his dream. 

I'm not sure if I should start looking for another job, or just roll with the punches at my current workplace. It is good money. But money is not everything is it? Actually, yes, right now I need to make as much as I'm making now, so money does matter quite a bit. So my options are: 1. Stay in the job which is a great resume builder but is making me a b*tch. 2. Start a new job hunt where I would only accept a position with an equal or greater salary.

Hmm... I guess it can't hurt to keep my eyes peeled for jobs. I think I will. At least I'll feel like I'm being proactive.

When I came home from work last night...

This is what was waiting for me:

Thanks, Hubs!! You're the best :-)

A First

I was at Tesco last night at the busiest time (right after work) which I normally avoid at all costs; but be were out of food so it had to be done. So, I finish getting the goods and wait in the painfully long check out line. I say to the cashier "I have a bag at the bottom of my basket somewhere..." and proceed to dig it out. After I get it he says "I can do the bagging," at which point my mouth drops in shock. Number one - it's really busy in there so normally they just want as little contact with the customer as possible and number two - even if it's not busy, it's very unusual that they'll bag your items. So at first I declined and said "Oh no, that's okay, I can do it." and he persisted! So, long story short. The cashier bagged my stuff at Tesco yesterday. It was a good day. 

I've seen London I've seen France...

Hubs and I returned to Dublin from the big city across the Irish Sea Yesterday afternoon.  We saw most of what I wanted to see (Hubs has been already on several occasions).  Friday night we went to see Les Miserables at Queen's Theatre in London's West End, which was absolutely brilliant. The venue is quite intimate and the acoustics were fantastic! I've still got the music running through my head.   

On Saturday we woke up early to take advantage of all the daylight hours to see the city.  We started out the day by going to breakfast with the man Justin works for at Oxford. Please ask me about this encounter because it is too controversial to write on a public blog! We carried on after that and went to Trafalgar Square first which, as you can see was bustling with people!

The National Gallery is right there so we popped in there to see the art, which was fantastic. I especially enjoyed the Monet pieces they have.  We went on from there to see Big Ben and then Westminster Abby - which was by far my favorite part of the trip. We opted to do the audio tour, which goes into detail about all of the nooks and crannies. They do not allow you to take photos of the inside - but here's one of the outside:

I'm not going to drag you through the rest of our trip.  Just know that we had an amazing time and can't wait to go back!