Recap

One of my Ireland travel mates (Allison) posted a blog about Ireland a few days ago, and it reminded me that I never left a solid description of our travels for my family who I know wanted to hear about them!  Everyone else has pretty much gotten the low-down, but for those that haven't....Allison has inspired me to share.  It may also be because I've been spending most of today daydreaming about far away places.  Its funny, when I'm away, all I want to do is be back.  When I'm back here, all I want to do is be away.  Grass is always greener on the other side they say....except its not really.  I like the grass here a lot....I'll stick with that for the long term. :)

Anyways...I'll go day by day to give you a good idea of what we experienced.  I'm including a few pictures to share for each day!  This may take a few days of blogging....it was a long trip!  :)

Day #1
We were supposed to be catching flights from Spokane to Seattle to Paris to Dublin.....which ended up not happening.  We had a short layover scheduled at Seattle before that Paris flight, and we didn't even make it to Seattle before our flight had left.  There were complications in Spokane with the plane and we were unfortunately forwarded on to Seattle instead of being re-routed from Spokane. We spent about an hour and a half hanging out around the Alaska Airlines customer service waiting to get  something that would send us on our way sooner than 3 days from then.  Let's just say it wasn't our most gracious moment...it was pretty frustrating to feel like your vacation isn't going to happen because of an airline's mistake.  Finally they found a flight for us at 6:00 am to Newark and were shipped to a Comfort Inn somewhere near the Seattle airport.  I, being the only unmarried traveler at this point, got a room to myself.  This would have been more fun if we weren't supposed to be on our way to Paris at this point. 

Bored....not loving Seattle at this point.

Day #2
The flight to Newark wasn't the worst and we got to see the Manhattan skyline as we flew by.

 We had a 7 hour layover, but decided not to risk the drive into the city...that was the last thing that we needed (to miss another plane). Newark has a bad rep, but it wasn't the worst layover I've ever had.  The Japanese earthquake had just happened that morning so we spent a lot of the layover watching that on the news and trying to find sleeping space on the floor.  We left at 10:00 pm and flew overnight to Dublin.  I've never flown over an ocean, so that was an exciting first.  I ended up sitting next to a girl from the East Coast who was flying to Dublin to party for Spring Break.  Next to her was a military guy who was also flying to Dublin to party. He was supposed to go with a friend, but apparently he came down with something right before the trip.  So, this guy decided to travel alone.  It worked out well for him on the plane it seems as he had lots of time to flirt with his seatmates.  It was an overnight flight and between him and the girl next to me, they drank at least 10 beers.  I declined.....

Day #3
Finally in Dublin.  We walked around the airport looking for the travel desk for about 20 minutes and then found our bus shuttle to the Dublin city center.  We thought we had located our hostel on the map and walked at least a mile to this location.  Unfortunately, there are two Great George Streets in Dublin and we had chosen the wrong one.  So, we back tracked that mile and had to walk another 1/2 mile to our hostel.  Lets just say that the map readers almost found themselves at the bottom of the Liffey River after that one....and I was one of them!  Our hostel was Mount Eccles, and seemed to be airy and cute when we first walked in.  Upon further inspection....it was kind of dirty and weird and our dorm room had at least 15 beds in it.

We met up with Mollie and Christie (who had managed to make the flight to Paris that we were supposed to be on) and headed straight for the Guinness Factory.

  Mind you, at this point, we are all delirious with jet lag.  The Guinness Factory was fun....maybe not anything to write home about.  I guess my real beef with the whole experience is that nothing was authentic.  They don't actually show you the process of beer making, they show you a simulated version of the process.  They use a lot of lights and videos to show things, but I wanted to see some real action.  We did get to sample Guinness....which I sipped and then shared with my travel mates.  Ick.  The view at the top of the factory was incredible though....well worth it!  We also went to check out Dublinia (a Viking museum that was cheesy and ridiculous, and one of my favorite spots in Dublin).  Attached to this spot was the Christ Church Cathedral and a tower that you could climb for another beautiful view of the city.  By this time, most everyone was ready for dinner.  We landed at the first pub we could find, and I spent most of the evening nursing an upset stomach. 

My first Irish meal was vegetable soup (classic.....every pub has it as their soup of the day) and Irish soda bread (sick...grosss.....never again).  The whole day ended pretty badly with that upset stomach turning into a full fledged nightmare.  I thought I might die on my first day in Ireland....

Day #4
Our second day in Ireland was dedicated towards making it to Cork, which is in the Southwest corner of Ireland.  This is where Mollie had been living as an au pair, so we were all excited to get a taste of what she had been experiencing.  We had purchased bus tickets that allowed us to travel freely all throughout Ireland through a company called Bus Eirann.  It was a 4 hour bus ride, complete with a stop in at a gas station where we had the chance to fight motion sickness and buy European candy bars!  Cork was bustling and had a much different feel from Dublin.  Dublin was kind of dirty and much too busy, but Cork was much more stylish and had a younger feel to it.  We stayed at Hotel Issacs, which was a hotel that had both hotel rooms and apartments. 

We rented a 3 bedroom apartment for under 100 euros for one night.  Great deal.  We dropped our stuff off at the apartment and did a little souvenir shopping around town.  Every city in Ireland shuts down at about 6:00 pm every day (except for the pubs)...so you had to make sure you got your shopping in before that time.  We spent the evening in the apartment playing games (always interesting with that crew) and eating some yummy homemade shepard's pie that Mollie made.  It was nice to be in an apartment with a clean, fully functioning shower and a clean kitchen.  Hostels leave much to be desired, so this was wonderful!

Day #5.....coming soon!

Ah ha!

I'm feeling super empowered today....which is great after a few weeks of feeling super insecure.  This post college life is an interesting maze, because I'm a totally different person than I was in college.  I went from being a super uncool high school student to being accepted into a huge group of friends and honestly being in the center of everything in college.  Working full time is a whole different ball game, and I feel like I was unprepared for it.  I can't tell you the last time I wasn't exhausted from work on a weekday and felt like hanging out with anyone.  When I do hang out with people on weekdays.....all I'm thinking about is how early I have to get up in the morning and what a long day it will be if I don't get good sleep.  Then Friday nights are useless because I work Saturday mornings and I fall asleep at 10:00 pm anyways.  And then, this may be an adult reality I never understood before, once the weekends come, I'm running 100 miles an hour to catch up on chores, laundry, running errands, etc....  So, the social life that I once found all my confidence in is totally depleted and I'm left coming home every night to this little guy (cute as he may be) and wondering what happened to all the fun. 

In the midst of all of that, God has been working on reminding me of where my value lies and what my idols are that I've been holding onto...like popularity and looks and control and putting all my inherent value into what others think of me.  Funny how easy it can be to make it look like you are totally put together when you aren't at all.  I had a breaking point last week where I realized how miserable I was in this facade. 

I meet with a counselor at work regularly to work through the tough things that we experience every day, and a lot of what we touch on are more personal things.  I was reminded by him today where my insecurities come in and how they are impacting some pretty important aspects of my life.  I can have all the confidence in the world at work and in my job, but if I'm not confident in Christ and in his plan for me and in his plan for this time of self-discovery....then I'm missing a huge chunk of this.  I'm realizing where I need to take some risks and where I need to push past my self imposed limits.  I also need to quit listening to certain voices in my life and quit adding onto wounds that are already there.  I'm not doing myself any favors.

I'm measuring my success in all the wrong ways.  I'm living alone with a cat...with no end to that situation in sight.  So what?  That is what I wanted.  I wanted independence and I wanted to feel like a grown up.  So I got it.  God totally blessed me with a gift of a time to spend time with him and with myself and allowed me the perfect place to do that.  And I'm complaining why?  So I'm single....and have been for a long time.  When did that become a failure.  I'm frustrated that I've allowed myself to feel like a failure because of that.  I could be miserable in a relationship with the first person that came along that showed me any attention and I could be regretting every step of my life since then.  Instead I'm loving what I'm doing professionally, I'm enjoying my friends, I'm involved in an incredible church group, I get to travel whenever I want to, I don't have unnecessary stretch marks....haha.  That isn't a failure.  I refuse to think that way anymore, and for real this time, I refuse to see this time as an interim period before life really begins.  The Christian community has failed its young single women in allowing them to think that life begins when you get married....and until that point, you are in limbo.  There is so much pressure on this period in life, and reaching 25 and still being single is such a downer for those that hit it.  You know what?  No other circle of people anywhere else thinks its the norm to be married this young.  My friends from the East Coast think we are crazy for even considering it.  And even as I watch every other single friend of mine pair off...I refuse to become that bitter person that can't find joy for them.  Good for them!  But good for me too.  I'm doing my thing too, and it holds just as much meaning.

Ahhhh, I should have gone for a run this afternoon...I have way too much energy and excitement about life.  Maybe I'll just clean my entire kitchen.

Also, in another empowering note, I am kind of rocking this little experiment with gluten.  I'm hating it....I'm not going to lie.  However, I'm pretty successful in it, even if its only in the fact that I'm making healthier eating choices and making lunches for work and just staying on top of myself more.  I'm not necessarily feeling better.....but you never know!  My fridge is full of yummy, healthy, home-cooked food.....I think that's a success!  I may not be able to give up sugar for a whole month though....that is harder than expected.  But even if I drastically cut back to dessert one or two times a week, I'll feel good about that.

:)

Admitting Defeat

That's it.  I'm pretty over the whole picture challenge.  I made it only halfway through the 30 days, and I'm so tired of writing about my pictures that I'm officially giving up today.  I never wanted blogging to be a hassle and it has become one.  So, I'm stopping that.  Props to those who can keep it going for that long. 

In other news, I'm starting a new 30 day challenge that I may also admit defeat halfway through....but I'm hoping that isn't the case.  I make really terrible food choices.  Really bad.  I may not drink pop with every meal or eat fried food like its going out of style, but I make up for it with the desserts I eat and the not even remotely healthy choices that I make.  I would never choose whole grain rice over white rice.  Never.  What's the point?  White rice tastes better.  I dislike salads.  Who wants to eat something that tastes like grass?  I do...if its covered in a bunch of garbage that makes it not taste like grass....like dressing (and a lot of it).  And seriously...here is an average day of eating.

Breakfast:
Sugary cereal (I've decided that most non-sugary cereal is gross, and makes me want to top it with sugar)....so, I gave up and just started buying frosted flakes and things that actually tasted good.

Mid-Morning Snack:
We get tons of donuts at work....so I literally eat a donut at least 3-4 days a week...usually as I'm running from place to place at around 9:30 in the morning.  So, I've started the day with pure sugar and fat.

Lunch:
Although our kitchen crew is totally talented and they are generous enough to make enough for the staff, usually by the time I get through the line....all that is left is the main dish and a variety of desserts.  So, I eat a little of whatever the main dish is...and grab dessert.  Awesome.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
We also have an overabundance of cookies....I usually partake in one or two of those by the afternoon.

Dinner:  I make this myself, so its definitely the healthiest of the meals that I eat, but typically it involves dessert as well.  Cookies?  Cupcakes?  Whatever I have made over the last week.

There you have it....were my metabolism not wildly fast, I would be the biggest person I know.

And sugar doesn't make me feel good.  I get headaches, it kills my immune system, it makes me crash quickly...its gross.  I also have been dabbling with the idea of going gluten free for a time to see if it helps my stomach problems and other health issues.  I had decided against it because of how hard it would be, but with the encouragement of some friends, I have decided to take the plunge.  So, for 30 days, I'm going to be cutting out all sugars that do not include fruit, whatever is in my natural yogurt that I love, and whatever dessert I allow myself to be treated to once every Friday.  I will also be going gluten free for one month, which should be really interesting, because gluten is in everything I love.  But you can do almost anything for 30 days right?  (Well....except for finish a 30 Day picture challenge.......fail).

Sail away

Day #15
Picture of something you want to do before you die

I recently created a pretty extensive bucket list that I'm pretty excited about...

So far this year, I have crossed off going to Europe and several others.  Now if I can just run Bloomsday in under an hour?!  haha....not this year.

I know I couldn't possibly be disappointed with my life once my time comes....I'm planning on going somewhere far better than here...but there is one thing that I feel is totally necessary to do in my lifetime.  (And for the record....getting married and having kids probably beats this out, but that's pretty typical)



I desperately want to take a cruise of the Mediterranean.

Most cruises here take off from Barcelona which is pretty much 2nd on my list of places to visit in my lifetime.  I took four years of Spanish in high school, and my teacher was a huge fan of Barcelona.  Really the architecture is incredible (Gaudi!), the food is impressive, the weather is beautiful, and its SPAIN.  What more can you ask for?

So it starts off amazing....the only problem is that you have to get from Spokane to Barcelona...which is pretty pricey, and then you have to pay for the cruise on top of it.  YIKES!

Then most cruises hit Italy, Greece, Monaco, Turkey, Egypt.....oh man.  So much history and so much beauty.

Maybe I should start saving now?

You have my heart so please don't break it!

Day #14
Picture of someone you can't imagine life without

Wow.....if someone could really narrow themselves down to one person for this one..they don't get out much.  It seems that my life has been so changed and impacted by so many people.  I think the challenge here is finding a picture that sums this up, and I'm absolutely sure I don't have one.

So, instead I'm going to pose four pictures of the four places that have captured pieces of my heart. These are the four places that represent the most important people in my life (aside from the outliers - like my sister and family in Georgia....they matter just as much too!)
1) Cheney, WA


This place was very good to me, and the people were even better!  I met some of the best people I've ever come across here, and all because we forfeited a grand degree from a high class university for the cheap education of Eastern Washington University!  Best decision I've ever made.  I am blessed with best friends, good acquaintances, some of the best co-workers, and a network of people that would have my back in an instant if I needed it.  Love them, and love this place!

#2) Spokane, WA


Nothing like a little hometown action.  First of all, I couldn't imagine life without my parents....and since they reside here, this makes the list.  Not to mention my best friends from high school and my wild and crazy co-workers from every little job I've held since I was 16 and first punched the timeclock.  I also have been fortunate enough to have found a solid church community in my college years at New Community, and recently have landed in the hands of an equally incredible group from Vintage Faith.  This city has a lot to offer, and a lot of people that I couldn't do without!

#3) South Lake Tahoe, CA


I've said it once, and I'll say it again and again.  I love Lake Tahoe.  And I especially love the 85 people that became a part of my extended family the summer that I lived there.  We literally came from every walk of life and every possible experience before Tahoe, and we all experienced the summer of a lifetime there.  Time and distance has changed relationships....as it does in every situation, but I still thank God on a regular basis for these individuals in my life and the impact they have left.

#4) Moses Lake, WA


There isn't even a good picture of Moses Lake on Google Images.  That's how bad this city is....but on the other hand...if you drive with me on I-90 past this place....you will probably end up hearing about how much I love it for 10 miles before we see the signs and 10 miles after.  The summer after I graduated college, I worked for about 6 weeks here as a resident advisor for the College Bound Summer Program at Big Bend Community College.  I went into it thinking it would just be a job, and it turns out I fell in love with the program and fell in love with those kids and my staff friends.  We were a tight knit group that had a lot of laughs and a lot of memorable moments.  I need to write a whole blog on this place sometime....its too much to cover at 11:00 at night! 

There you have it....now throw in the family members that live on the outskirts and the friends that fall somewhere outside of these categories, and you have it all.

Finally feeling normal this week after a ridiculous bout of jet lag last week!  Finally!

Back with a vengence!

Hello!! 

Finally a day where I'm not totally taken over with jet lag and I have a chance to share a bit about my trip to Ireland and jump back into my 30 Day Challenge for photos.

Let's do the photo first....its least exciting.

Day #13
Picture of your favorite band

This is going to sound annoying and like I'm not trying, but I honestly don't have a favorite band! 

But....a picture must be had....so.....



In all seriousness....I like so many bands that I can't narrow it down.  I'm not obsessed with any one thing.  I am pretty infatuated with a few old bands (Lifehouse, Until June, Rascal Flatts, Coldplay, Thousand Foot Krutch, etc...), and a few that are a little newer in my book (The Decemberists, Mumford and Sons, The Script, etc...).  But no favorite.

As for Ireland.....

We had a really beautiful time there.  Our itinerary included a really long delay in Seattle which caused us to be a day late to Dublin (thank you Horizon airlines), one day in Dublin, one day in Cork and at the Blarney Castle, two days in Killarney, one day in Limerick, two days in Galway, one more day in Dublin, and a 12 hour layover in ol' Paris.

I have tons of pictures that I'm attempting to get up on Facebook (that is one of my goals for tonight), so I'll leave those for some of the smaller stories, but here is a quick synopsis of each city and my experience there!

Dublin at first glance was not my favorite, as it was raining....hard to navigate....and sort of ugly.  It was definitely bustling and busy.  The first day that we were there, we went to visit the Guinness Storehouse and visited a viking museum called Dublinia.  We ate dinner at a pub and stayed in this hostel that was pretty dumpy.  I was also sick all night, so Dublin the first time around....not on my top list of favorites in the trip.  The second time to Dublin, we had more time to explore.  I had a lot of souvenir shopping to do....and I spent a lot of time exploring the other parts of downtown.  Temple Bar is a big hot spot with a ton of cute pubs.  I also visited several museums, St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, and rode on a double decker bus!  Much of Dublin was spent either arriving and feeling jet lagged and gross.....or preparing to go back home.  Not my favorite spot on the journey, but definitely a good time.

Cork was next in the line after Dublin, and this was one of my favorite spots!  It is on the Southern tip of Ireland and is green and beautiful and feels smaller.  We stayed in an apartment here, which was great because Mollie made us some homemade Shepard Pie...and it allowed us our own space.  We went to the Blarney Castle while we were here, and also did a lot of shopping.  There was a great spot that we passed through called the English Market...which sold all sorts of fresh food and gift items. 

Killarney was next on the tour, and was definitely my top favorite spot.  We stayed one of our cleaner hostels here, and found that this town has a lot to offer.  It is smaller than either of the first two, but was really stereotypical.  I felt like I was in a little Irish village that the US would try to recreate....like a Leavenworth.  It was also the jumping off point for the Ring of Kerry, which we explored via a guided bus tour with a hilarious tour guide.  Beautiful! 

Limerick is Spokane's sister city, and was a good stop on the way.  Mollie, Christie and I got a hotel so that the married couples could have their time and so that we could all have a breather from the big group setting....and had a great time.  We three explored the city....drank milkshakes....walked along the river....talked to swans......found a super old castle....and watched Two Weeks Notice in our hotel room. Good thing we got good sleep here, because next it was on to the noisiest place on earth....Galway on St. Patricks Day.

Galway is on Ireland's West Coast and this was our home base for the St. Patty's Day celebration.  We got there mid-day because of a late bus ride and our hostel left a bit to be desired.  We knew we were in for a long few days when we got in the room and realized how noisy it was inside with all the windows closed....in the middle of the day.  We went out that night to the pubs and mingled with the crowd, but it was crazier than anything I've ever seen in the States.  There was trash everywhere in the streets...little 18 year olds were passed out and puking in the streets (the drinking age is lower there).  It was totally disgusting.  However we did happen across a band that was playing at Kings Head that played covers of Kings of Leon....so it ended up being a pretty solid night.  We also went dancing a little later on to a whole bunch of country music and typical American rap.  Funny that on St. Patty's Day in Spokane....they play a bunch of Irish folk music.  In Ireland though, they play as much American music as possible.....backwards.

Wasn't too keen on Galway after this introduction, but we went to spend some time at the Cliffs of Moher which were stunning!  Christie and I also discovered the real Galway by walking down to the bay and out to the ocean!  Definitely worth the cold and the sore legs....so beautiful!  We also had some yummy food at a restaurant called Mustard on our last night there!

Then we looped our way back to Dublin for that last chunk of time where we stayed at a hostel run by a Japanese couple.  It was immaculate, warm, and comfortable....best hostel experience by far!  We were also in town for the big Ireland vs. England rugby match, so the place was buzzing with excitement!

We flew out of Ireland on the 20th at 7:00 pm and had a 12 hour layover in Paris.  This was INCREDIBLE........expensive, but so worth it.  We ended up spending 25 euro each for taxis, but I got to see the Notre Dame cathedral, the Lourve, the Eiffle Tower, and everything inbetween.  We also ate crepes at a sidewalk cafe on the Siene River....what more can you ask for?   We had an 11 hour plane ride to Salt Lake and a quick skip home.....and then the week of jet lag ensued!  Finally feeling back to normal and excited for spring to be here finally!!

:)  Check Facebook for more (I'll put good captions on the pictures!)

Love is a many splendid thing...

Day #12
A picture of something you love

Again....hard to decide.  Less definitive than my distaste for cilantro.  Love is kind of a bad way to describe these things anyways, because I love God.....I love my family......I love my friends.  There is no way in the world that I can compare my favorite "loves" to any of these things.  It doesn't come close to adding up.  However, there are a few things in life aside from the things listed above that I adore.....and that bring a lot of joy to my heart simply because they are beautiful or delicious or otherwise have been created in a ridiculously awesome way.  God had the best of intentions when he created these next few items or when he created people who could create these amazing items....and yes, I mean a few.  I couldn't narrow this one.

#1)  Cantaloupe



Um....yum.  My favorite months of the year also directly correspond with the season that cantaloupe is at its finest.  Coincidence?  No.

Why have they not come up with a cantaloupe ice cream??  I would buy stock in that.

#2) Flowers



I love receiving them, I love looking at them, I love drawing them, I love designs that have them in them, I love clothes that have them on them, I really love flowers.  I guess my favorite form of flowers is definitely being on the receiving end of them.   I think that although they die quickly, it is a sweet gesture!  I'm a sucker....what can I say?  I was in a wedding in September and I tried to make my bouquet last for as long as possible....it actually started to rot.  I have even considered putting money aside every month while I'm still single to buy myself flowers.  Just because I don't have a guy pursuing me doesn't mean that I don't deserve to remember that I'm special and loved and worthy of a pretty bunch of flowers every couple of weeks.  Even if it comes from me....haha.

#3 BBQ Food/Hawaiian Food



Different genres, but I love them so much equally that I can't decide which one belongs here.  If there is pulled pork on a menu, I will automatically turn to that.  I love it sooo much.  And the best part is that every place makes it different and I love it all.  I think I was meant to live in Texas or Kansas City or someplace that values BBQ food as much as I do.  I also have a very real love affair with Kahlua Pork...the Hawaiians do pig right.  Good thing I don't follow old Jewish law.

4) This cat!

I frequently get made fun of for being a cat lover....and I have even been accused of being a crazy cat lady.  I have never liked the popular thing....I never like sports teams that are necessarily popular (hello!?!!  Mariners fan!)...I wasn't into being cool in high school....so why is is surprising that I would go for the animal that most people think it stupid and annoying? 

This cat is Sassy....she is my 12 year old asthmatic and physically disabled cat that I have had since I was in junior high!  She was the first animal that I named and got to take ownership of, so I forceably made her bond with me.  I got in her face a lot and picked her up a lot and terrorized her a ton, and somehow these days she thinks that I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread!  Success! 

She has had asthma for years, so we haven't used candles in our house for as long as I can remember!  She also somehow dislocated her kneecap when she was little (we think it was from a fall from our stairs), so she has a screw in her knee and now has a pretty hearty case of arthritis.  She has stairs to help her get on my bed, courtesy of Aunt Allison.

She also had developed a new nervous habit of chewing her fur off, so she is old, sick, and ugly now!  Yes!

#5 Hoopfest



Best weekend of the year hands down!  I've never played, but the nervous energy in this city when Hoopfest hits is the greatest.  I spent a couple summers away from Spokane and then this last year I worked a hellish schedule during Hoopfest, so I'm excited to get to play a more active role in it this year!