Living out of a suitcase

Turns out it takes a few days to recover from a whirlwind trip to London.  I'm here, but still feeling pretty tired and working on catching up on sleep.  Once I'm settled back in (which likely won't happen until I get back home) I'll edit pics and tell you all about it.  In three words: awesome, crazy, exhausting.

For now though, I thought I'd share a funny picture.  This is my first experience of living out of a suitcase for an extended period of time.  I don't know how our international team does it - but I can tell you it's not for me! HA!  Obviously I don't have access to a washer and dryer; therefore, I have to depend on the hotel laundry services for ensuring I don't smell bad on a daily basis.  The first time I did laundry I laughed when I returned to my room to find this:

That's right - those are my pajama pants - laundered, pressed, and hanging in plastic!  That was my first experience with hotel laundry.  My second wasn't quite as fun.  I gave them a bunch of sweaters to dry clean and they washed them instead.  They came back much smaller than how I left them.  Needless to say, there were a few tears, and a call to the front desk.  They sent the sweaters back to the cleaners, and they stretched my sweaters back out.  Did you know that was possible??  Because I most certainly did not.  I was very skeptical (as was the lady at the front desk) when I got my sweaters back.  But would you believe they were actually fixed???  Talk about being relieved!!!  I'm ready to be back home with my washer/dryer, and local dry cleaner who carries the stuff out to my car for me.  Ahhhh - only 3 more days......

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The kind of thing little girls dream of

When I first found out I was going to Ireland I was incredibly excited and equally nervous.  The thought of being away from home for four weeks was slightly terrifying - I won't lie.  I of course wanted Bryan to come visit (especially since we had been planning a trip to Ireland with the Whitworths anyway.....) but it seemed like it just wasn't going to work out with Bryan's work obligations. Finally, a little over a week before I left, the most amazing husband in the world bit the bullet, asked off, and booked a ticket.  When I say my hubby has always had his priorities straight, I mean it. During law school, he never let the pressure get to him. And even now, when the pressure to devote every waking minute to work can be overwhelming at times, he is always able to see the bigger picture.  50 years from now, we will look back on this weekend with such fond memories, and you know what?  We probably won't even remember what firm it was he worked for anyway.  :) Only kidding of course. Without further adieu....welcome to the castle!

Feast your eyes on this beauty!  Just a few days before Bryan flew out, I realized the town I had originally picked for us to stay in was just too far from one of our desired day trips.  So in keeping with the "you only live once" theme of the weekend, I threw caution to the wind and booked an amazing castle for us to stay in.  It was simply amazing.  Adare Manor was everything I could have hoped for.  They even upgraded our room for us.  Um, that never happens!!  This place was amazing.

 The first morning, Bryan woke up and whipped open our curtains to see this amazing view.  The contrast of the colors, the manor looking all ancient and charming....what a way to wake up!!

 And of course because Bryan is awesome, he got this really cool perspective out of one of the windows. 

 The first morning, we decided to get some breakfast and then spend the morning exploring the grounds of the castle.  The concierge pointed us to a great walk that took us all around the castle, and into the neighboring town of Adare. It was really gorgeous.

 This is what happens when you try to use a tripod and a clicker to take a portrait.  (And maybe the result of wifey eating a few too many servings of potatoes three times a day....haha)! 

 After exploring the grounds, we had lunch and drove to the Cliffs of Moher.  While we were hiking, we turned around and saw an awesome rainbow.  Can you see it? 

 This hike was not for the faint of heart.  (My in-laws would have probably not enjoyed this very much... ;) ) The trail skirted the edge of the cliffs, and the wind was pretty intense.  Also, please note the two layers of jackets I have on (fleece and rain jacket) - it was pretty cold when the wind started whipping.  But boy, did we have gorgeous skys!  Quite unusual for Ireland. 

 Like I said, the wind was seriously intense.  You'd be walking along and then all of a sudden these huge gusts would come along.  You literally had to lean into the wind to not get knocked down.  Not coincidentally, the wind is why they say not to get too close to the edge. 

 It was about a two hour hike to get to the very end of the cliffs, and this is what was awaiting us.  I believe it's called Hag's Head.  I could be wrong though.  It was beautiful though.  We stopped and sat here for quite a while before hiking the two hours back.

 This was the view we had - pretty impressive! 

 Did you really think we'd miss out on the opportunity to take some fun self-portrait shots?? 

 This pic turned out a little blurry, but I think it perfectly captures the weekend.  Lots of fun and love.

 And conquering some serious hiking.

 Look what we just accomplished!!  We timed the walk so that we could see dusk at the Cliffs.  Totally worth it!

 The next morning, we woke up for an extremely early (but totally worth it) dawn Easter Mass at the Franciscan Ruins.  Everyone had candles, and they had a fire up front to try and keep everyone warm.  This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, and we're both so glad we sacrificed a little bit of sleep.  The service was very moving, and the I loved the symbolism of the sun coming up during the service.

 A view of the ruins from a far.  I wish we had history like this in the States.

 After the service, we had breakfast at the Manor and then drove down to the Dingle Peninsula.  Of all the places I've seen in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher and Dingle were by far my favorite.  The scenery on the Dingle Peninsula is unlike that in the rest of the country.  Also, the little town was incredibly cute!  We got a little shopping in, had some amazing ice cream, and ate a deliciously fresh seafood lunch. 

 We also hit up a local pub called Dick Mack's.  How cute is this place?  You really felt like you were stepping back in time as soon as you walked in.  We split a half pint of Guinness.....I can now officially say that neither one of us are beer people.  We couldn't even get half way through it.  I guess I'm just a wine and liquor kind of lady. :)

On Monday, we headed back to my home base.  Here's a picture of me (probably one of the only ones I have) to document that I spent 4 weeks here. 

So there you have it.  A whirlwind Easter weekend, but one we'll never forget.  I think every little girl dreams of having a weekend like that, and this one is sure happy it happened! 

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Waterford

So since I don't yet have any pictures from this past weekend (don't worry - they're coming soon) - how about a recap of the first weekend here - in Waterford.  First of all, you must pronounce Waterford as Waaaatafaad.  Okay, now that we're all on the same page with how to appropriately sound fancy while saying Waterford, how about I tell all about what we did! 

We left work on Friday around 4, and headed down to the lovely seaside town of Waterford.  Our original plan was to stay in a castle on the west side of Ireland, but after having traveled so much and then having a busy week at work, we decided to stay at the Waterford Castle as it was much closer.  They didn't have any rooms inside the castle, but they did have a golf side villa we could stay in.  It was perfect b/c it had three bedrooms and three baths, so we each had our own space. 

One of the villas- they were really pretty.  We couldn't actually go into the castle on Friday night b/c they had a wedding going on.  So you just hold tight for the pictures of the excellent castle.

 Welcome to the Waterford Crystal Tour.  This is one of the molds they use.  See how it says "American Football" - remember that - you're going to see something really cool in a second.

 Everything here is handmade.  These two gentlemen were blowing crystal for a vase.  This plant in particular only makes special order items, not your run of the mill crystal glasses. 

 For example, this is for the Queen's Jubilee.  How cool is that? 

 The process of etching was really awesome.  It's almost all done by hand.  Each apprentice has to memorize all the different cuts.  For custom work (such as the Queen's Jubilee item above), they design and mark the cuts right onto the item.  For more standard work it's all freehand.  Very impressive.

 And here I am with the BCS championship trophy!  Remember the mold from earlier?  Yep, pretty cool!

After the tour we headed back to the castle to hang out and enjoy the grounds.  Now check out this beauty - Waterford Castle!  The castle was from the 1400's and was just totally charming and grand.

 The dining room in the castle was beautiful.  We enjoyed dinner here on Saturday night.  The food was great and the ambiance was really cool.

 This is the breakfast room.  We had breakfast here Sunday morning.  I wasn't going to miss out on the chance to spend time in this beautiful area!

 I think one of my favorite things about this castle was the decor.  It was decorated in all "French Country/Shabby Chic".  Yes, please.  Check out how huge that fireplace is - I could walk into it. 

We went on a nature walk on Saturday around the property.  I couldn't get the boys to get a picture with me, so I just got a solo one with the castle in the background. ;)

And what's better than afternoon tea in a castle?  We had a very relaxing afternoon chat over tea and beer.  It was a pretty great weekend.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Waterford!  Pics from this past weekend are coming soon.  Bryan just sent them over to me last night and now I'm just trying to get them downloaded onto my computer.  We're going to dinner with the client tonight, so with that and needing to pack for the weekend I won't make any promises that it will happen tonight.  We're off to London this weekend!  I'm super pumped to get the chance to see such a great city, even if only for 24 hours.  Cheerio!

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A quick weekend update

Just a quick update to let you all know that things are still going great over here!  Bryan and I had a wonderful weekend filled with great memories!  I'll be sure to post lots more details when I can post pictures as well.  He got some really great shots this weekend and I want to be sure to share every detail with you all.  Though I was sad to see him go yesterday morning, I am incredibly thankful for the great weekend we had here!  I couldn't have asked for a more special time together - it was truly perfect.  I hope to get pics up sometime later this week if the hubby can edit them that quickly. :) Hint. Hint.

As many of you know this Easter was five years since my dad passed away.  At breakfast on Saturday morning I couldn't help but think of something my dad said to me about a year before he passed away.  We were in Chattanooga on a little family trip as the doctor's had told us he may not have much time to travel.  My dad and I were sitting outside of a restaurant while my mom went in to put our name down.  It was rare for my dad to be direct about his illness, but for some reason he felt he had to tell me his feelings at that moment.  He said to me to be sure to look after my mom if he passed away.  He then said to me that he knew I'd be fine, but that she wouldn't handle it well.  To be honest, I was a little offended.  How could he say I'd be okay??  Of course I wouldn't be okay if my dad wasn't around.  What a ridiculous thing to say!  Sitting at breakfast on Saturday monring, with five years of life without my dad behind me, I suddenly understood exactly what he meant.  It wasn't that I would be unaffected by his absence - that's not what he was implying.  He was meaning that I had so many wonderful things ahead of me in my life.  He knew that my mom would never be okay - which he was definitely right about - she never got over losing him.  However, he knew that though I would be forever changed, I had a faith that was strong and allowed me to see the good in situations, I had a man that loved me who I was going to marry (even though we weren't engaged at the time), I had an amazing career ahead of me, many adventrues, and lots of love from those around me.  He knew those things would sustain me.  It may have taken me five years to realize it, but he wasn't offending me, he was complimenting me- in the way only a father can.

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It's the weekend - Irish style!

So I took a funny picture on my phone to post on the blog, but everytime I get wifi I forget to email it to myself.  Oh well, first world problems.  At some point I'll post it and you'll laugh.  It will be awesome.

In the meantime, who's excited it's the weekend???  THIS GIRL!!  Who's excited their husband is currently in the same country??  THIS GIRL!!!  Getting through work today is proving to be challenging, but in a few short hours I'll go pick Bryan up and we'll be off for an Irish adventure. 

A quick misc update: the week has flown by.  We normally work from about 8:30 - 6:30 (with an excellent lunch break might I add.  They have hired a local chef who cooks in the "canteen" and let me tell you, that man is spoiling us.   He calls us his "american amigos", and he routinely puts too much food on our plates.  We love him for it.  Yesterday's shephards pie was amazing.  Simply amazing.  I needed a serious nap afterwards though.)  After work, we typically head back to the hotel to drop our bags and then head out to dinner.  Dinner, as in all parts of Europe, is a 2-3 hour affair.  So normally by the time we get back to the hotel it's 9 or 10 and I make a quick call to Bryan, check my email and get ready for the next day.  There isn't a lot on TV around here, so anything that isn't BBC can usually hold my attention.  I may have gotten suckered into a few Lifetime movies.  Don't judge me - you'd do the same thing.  I say all that to explain that a normal day totally flies by! 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

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The Irish do not value the internet

Sorry for not updating before now.  The hotel we're staying in only has wifi in the lobby and we've been getting back so late that by the time I've called Bryan I'm ready to call it a night! Things are going great though!  The weather was fantastic last week up until about Thursday and since then it's gotten consistently colder and rainier.  We haven't experienced too terribly much of either, but it's getting there!

The town we're staying in has fantastic restaurants, and we've been very spoiled with some AMAZING food on the weeknights (thus getting back so late).  We've also found a local pub that's a lot of fun.  We went there last Tuesday night and there were some guys playing music.  It was very charming.  I haven't tried Guinness yet, but I've promised my co-workers that I will before we leave. (And I'm secretly hoping they forget - b/c I strongly dislike beer.)  This past weekend we went to the city of Waterford and stayed at a castle!!  That's right, a real life castle!  We didn't get to stay in the castle b/c there was a wedding and it was booked, but we stayed in a really cute little cottage on the golf course there.  The castle was on an island so it felt super exclusive.  We spent Saturday touring the Waterford Crystal plant and show room...where I may have made a purchase.....and then we headed back to the castle for a walk around the grounds and some afternoon tea.  Well, I had tea and the guys had beer.  It was so nice though.  That night we had dinner in the fancy dining room at the castle.  It was truly something special, and we all had a wonderful time!  The next morning we treated ourselves to breakfast at the castle before heading out for a drive along the coast.   The scenery was beautiful, and I had my first experience driving on the left hand side of the road as I drove the whole way home (about 2 hours).  Let me just say it was interesting!  I got the experience of driving on both "interstates" as well as small roads.  And when I say small I mean that I just stopped right there in the middle of the road when another car was coming. :) But I made it, and now I'm ready to drive Bryan around next weekend!

I've taken lots of pictures, but in order to edit them  I have to be down here on the internet.  So I'm not gonna make any big promises just yet about when I'll get any pictures up....  

Now for another week of work until Bryan gets here!!!!!!!!! OMG, I am soo excited!!!  This whole being apart thing is tough and let me just tell you - if he wasn't coming to visit next week then I'd be figuring out how to go home sooner!  So here's to a quick week of work and a long weekend of fun with the hubby!! We're planning to drive over to the west coast, stay in another castle, see the beautiful seaside town of Dingle, visit the Cliffs of Moher, go to a Catholic mass for Easter, see Galway, and spend some quality time together.  Can't wait!

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