RAG week...."Raise and Give"

Last week.. February 28th to March 1st everyone enjoyed RAG week... or "charity week"
The weather could not be more perfect for it.
People sitting on their balconies and flip flops made up the week.
A week of drinking and giving to charity...

Things I will not forget from the week..


-"Conor take off your shirt and run"
- Our roommates making a laps around the Village at night in their undies
-Soccer in the Kitchen at 3 in the morning and getting caught by the security guard, and then we decided on poker
- Soccer on the field
- Movie night (BYOB) right near the Stables with some great girls..
-The lack of people in classes
-Seeing naked boy everyday for the last 2 weeks
- People climbing into beds

"The greatest things ever done on Earth have been done little by little."

- William Jennings Bryan




Before my sister left we went out to dinner with two of my roommates and we also went into the city to show her around.
The dinner we had was authentic Italian and it was delish! It's crazy to think that people don't dine casually. It's something that is more planned. The food at night is more expensive, but it makes eating out more enjoyable.
I wish we did that in the states. I think sometimes we take for grated the small things. Maybe that is why most people in Ireland know how to cook and can be more family oriented. And I guess it does hold true that food around a table brings people together.



The next day we went to the candy shop, Pennies, and also St. John's Castle.
It was a beautiful day, cold, but still better then rain.







We went out that night to the Stable and Trinity rooms. Pictures can explain it better then my words.
















I couldn't believe it was time for her to go home that Friday. There is never enough time.
I wish I could stop it.. even if is just for a second.

Dublin Darlings

The next day we were headed to Dublin.
The sun was out for most of the day. It was a start to one of the most beautiful weeks in Ireland.

We woke up early so we would be able to have most of the day there. It's about a five hour bus ride each way.
When we got there we had no idea where to do. So we were off to find a map and something to eat. We walked down the main road. Bridges every 3 blocks. Heaven. I don't believe that there is anything more beautiful then a bridge of a sunny day. Dublin is filled with them.. each one uniquely different.



Our adventure started with trying to find a map.
The day was amazing and the building reflected the sun perfectly.



When we did, we headed down Temple Bar and past the Medieval section. Down by Temple bar we saw a restaurant that had burritos. I was so excited, I kept telling her the whole day that we had to come back and get one..
"What time is it??.. BURRITO TIME!"

We were headed to the Guinness factory, and after some pit stops for coffee, we finally made it. What a museum! That place was nothing short of amazing. It was friendly and welcoming. There was a place where we were able to write something on their wall, and there also a place to taste raw barley.




It was very interesting, but I cannot say that I am a huge fan of Guinness.









When you got to the top of the museum there was a huge sky top lounge. It was gorgeous and there, we both got our free pint of Guinness.
But we were in a rush to get back so we could eat burritos and also go into Temple Bar.




As we were walking back it was getting dar quick, but there was still a wonderful atmosphere. It was a much quicker walk then I expected. We stopped into the Burrito Restaurant. It was a sit down place and candles were lit. Something I wasn't expecting, but I was so excited for the burrito I didn't mind.



We then left and skipped across the street to Temple Bar. You could feel the atmosphere before you even walked in. Each beat hitting me, skipping across my boy. It was amazing, and my sister and I both drank a pint of Bulmers. It was amazing.

We were in a rush to get back so we sprinted in an aimless direction we hoped was right to the bus station. We asked one person and thank goodness he knew the way. We both had a gut feeling we were going to miss it. I had to use the restroom so bad it was kind of ridiculous so when we got into the doors I booked it down a flight of stars, skipping steps to the bottom. We both ran to the bus which was so close to pull out. He told us we were luck, another 10 seconds and he would have been gone. It was the last bus headed to Limerick too.
The ride home was quiet. I think we were bother exhausted for words.

Galway Girl

This week was nothing short of amazing.
My sister came down on Saturday and I was so excited to see her.

We went to Galway on Sunday and Dublin on Monday.

Galway is BeautifuL!
oh goodness... it was a wonderful day but then the rain came. There were little shops all connected, cafe's everywhere, and cute storefronts with beautiful advertisements in the windows. We were there for the Sunday market! Warm homemade sweets, handmade wool, jewelry, and painted pictures were displayed on every covered table.
The place was gorgeous and the history roared through the streets.


There were also little monuments and things to see. The Spanish Arches were small but quaint. JFK had a monument and also Christopher Columbus. They were also every small though and they had to be found.



We didn't stay too long and we left on the bus back to Limerick.
The next day we were headed to Dublin.

Hello Tuesday Night..

"We sat grown quiet at the name of love;
We saw the last embers of daylight die,
And in the trembling blue-green of the sky
A moon, worn as if it had been a shell
Washed by time's waters as they rose and fell
About the stars and broke in days and years."

"If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love"

- Maya Angelou


This week was amazing...
One of the guys that used to live in our apartment played a show at The Stables with his band.
That night was one of the best nights but I did not feel well by the end of the night.
Thank goodness for amazing roommates.. xox























I also want to see a rugby game.

Hello Dundalk, Where have you been my whole life? ♥

After we got into Dundalk, our roommate Philip picked us up.
Thank goodness for Aoife, or I know I would have missed the stop.

But the place was so peaceful and quiet, it was hard to believe a place like that existed.
We spent Saturday night into Sunday there.

I have to say one of the best things about the weekend was staying in a house, and having a place that feels so warm and comforting. Their parents are some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life, and that made the weekend even more amazing then words.

Philip made us curry chicken and rice.. and ohhhh yum! it was amazing.
We also saw baby cafes being born! The mom had twins, and it was amazing. I've never seen that ever in my life. We stood in the other stable where other cows were and we watched it.
There was a white one with a pink nose that was so adorable.



We rented Takers that night and we all slept on beanbags, comforters, pillows, and sleeping bags.
HIs brother played us traditional Irish music... it was a piano accordion and it was amazing.. and his dad also sang us a tune..

We woke and Philip made eggs and we went to a Catholic Church. The whole time I was thinking about my Grandma. She would take us to church on Sunday when we slept over. I didn't know what was going on, and I wish I did know because I'm sure it would have been interesting.



He then took us to this place that was so interesting. I wish I knew the name of it.. but a picture is worth a thousand words.



We then drove over to a castle. His mother made us an amazing lunch... (mothers are the best).By this time the skies were clear and the water was sparkling. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place. The whole time we were there I was thinking about the surrounding houses. I could not believe that people live there. It felt so unreal.



















We then left and went back to his house. His parents made is a wonderful dinner and we watched the rugby game. I wish they did not loose to France..

We then continued our journey home...

It was an unbelievable weekend that I couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else.
Love,
xox




"If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared - most of all - to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself....then truth will not be withheld from you."