David and I went out with
Colm,
Anne,
Mark,
and Moira today.
Good times.
We had an amazing late lunch at a place called
Aqua in Howth. David and I both had spicy
tomato soup for a starter, followed by a main
course of baked cod with spinach fagliottelle
and tomato relish sauce. A few bites of delicious
cheesecake and a spot of coffee made for the
perfect meal. It was all topped off with a
beautiful view of the Irish Sea. I could watch
the boats there all day.
We got back hours after my weekly double-episode
date with Grey's Anatomy, but I caught one of the
episodes at 11pm after D tucked himself into bed.
For a moment, I was so happy that a large portion
of the American programs here are rerun with such
frequency. Anyway, it was a good day. Happy me.
Tuesday, August 15th
I went to Dublin yesterday to shop for a dress for
the wedding we have coming up. No luck. That
was my second or third time on that mission
coming up empty handed. The problem is that big,
not-so-cute tattoo on my shoulder. (I can't wait to
have it removed. Someday.) Everything in the
cocktail dress category seems to show the back,
which is great if you have two showable shoulders.
Hopefully I'll have better luck on my next outing.
I also spent some time at the bookstore looking
for a next pick. Eason is Dublin's Barnes &Noble.
It's a good bookstore with a solid selection, but I
struck out three times there. They did not have
The Lamb by Christopher Moore, Anderson
Cooper's new book, Dispatches from the Edge,
or The Prince of the Marshes by Rory Stewart.
By the time I figured out I couldn't get any of
those books, I decided my mood called for
something lighter anyway. I settled on Marley
and Me by John Grogan. I had planned to get
Killian back before buying it since I miss him
way too much to read a book about someone
else's dog, but I decided to get it anyway since
I'll be seeing him in a couple of weeks. I started
reading it last night and immediately recognized
the appeal. Looks like it'll be a fun read.
Thursday, August 17th
We have made some big decisions this week.
It looks like 'Link Adventure' will be taking on
a new direction in it's course. A 5,000 mile turn
for that matter. That would be the distance
from Dublin to Phoenix. That's right, we're
coming home!
Our time in Ireland is rapidly whinding to an
end. It's absolutely official this time. Here's the
plan leading up to our arrival in AZ:
- August 31st, we head to MI for Eryn and Jeramie's
wedding on September 2nd. That will be my last flight
from Ireland! I'm officially home from that point on. - September 10th, David will return to Ireland.
He'll remain there for his last three weeks of work.
During week two, he'll get to go to the Ryder Cup!
Quite a few people from PCI will be coming into town
for it. So, it will be a really fun week for him.
Meanwhile, I'll stay in Michigan and catch up with family. - Around September 29th, he'll make his final leap
across the pond and back to the states. Two days later,
we'll pack up the Mountaineer and Killian and set out for
the 30-hour, 1,900-mile drive back to the south west!
This time, we plan to take two days to make the drive
instead of doing it in one sitting like we did last time.
That was slightly insane and required way too much Red Bull. - Immediately after arriving, I have a long overdue
coffee date with Lindsay.
It's all still sinking in for me. Part of me
is so excited to go back and the other part
of me still doesn't believe this is really it.
I love Ireland, but I am so ready to get back
to MY LIFE! I miss Killian, my friends,
school, our stuff, and having our very own
home. Still, I am looking forward to a month
in Michigan and getting caught up with everyone.
I've already put a word in to Jennifer that
it'd be great if she could have her baby a week
early so I could meet him or her before I leave.
I'm quite confident her fetus overheard me and
is wholly on board.
While I'm so happy to be having that time at home,
I think that is also the very reason I'm having
trouble believing that I'm going to get back to
my life. It's still another month and a half away.
Maybe when it gets closer, it'll feel more real.
When I get to go back to school in January, then
I think I'll feel fully back on track. I'm still
really looking forward to everything in store
between now and then.
Friday, August 18th
Last night I went out for a lovely evening - a girls
night out with Gillian, Michelle and Shirley who all
work in the office for Ardmac. We met in Dublin for
dinner and had a great time chatting.
It was so nice to go out on my own with my own
friends. This is really the first social thing
I've done without David since we've been here.
Which is kinda weird and was so overdue.
I really enjoyed myself!! Today, I feel totally
rejuvenated, motivated and happy. I think I
really needed that.
I finished reading Marley and Me today -- Tears
fell like a streaming faucet during the last 20
pages. So good.
Saturday, August the 20th
It's a rainy day in Dublin today.
David worked with a group of guys
trying to get their warehouse cleaned up.
While he was at Intel, I did like any
good wife does when her husband is at
work on a Saturday...I went shopping.
My outing to Dublin was a total success.
I found two new books I'm excited about
reading: The Secret Life of Bees (which
I've already read half of and am totally into)
and I Know This Much Is True.
I also found a dress for Eryn Jeramie's
wedding. I'm looking forward to wearing it,
but almost even more exciting are the shoes
I got to go with it. THEY'RE SOOOOO CUTE!
It was love at first site!! Not only are
they g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s and so much fun, but
I think they might actually be comfortable
enough to dance in. In the shoe department,
this would be considered a home run. And as
if that weren't enough...they were also on
SALE. Still way too expensive but on sale
nonetheless! I found a fun right hand ring
that's really sparkly and totally fake to
go with it all. Now, I just need to track
down a clutch bag and I'll be good to go.
Home from my shopping excursion, I'm drying
out and warming up after a very, very damp
day. By the time I got home, my jeans were
soaked from foot to knee. Those very same
jeans, which are dark blue, stained my orange
shoes that I love. They're totally ruined
and I am pissed about that. But the excitement
of my great finds from the day have done a
little to soften that blow.
Today I was reminded of something I've learned
since being here. There are sometimes stinky
people on the bus. It seems that if they're
men and old and stinky, they usually sit next
to me.
When they're wet, they smell even worse. Bless
their hearts.
We're heading to Lemongrass for dinner tonight
where I don't expect to sit next to any stinky,
old men. (We've gone out for a lot of dinners
in the last week. My goodness.) We saw this
place featured on one of the local channels the
other day. Their food looked so wonderful. We're
excited to try new tastes. I'm hoping for something
spicy. That's a bit of a rarity here, but I think
their menu will cater to it.
**********************************
Christiane Amanpour has a story that will be aired
August 23rd on CNN about Osama bin Laden. To read
about it, click here.
She went to ten countries in four continents to
bring us this two hour report, according to this
link. I think she's just amazing, and it sounds
like this will be a really interesting piece.
I have not had my camera out much lately, and I'm
really missing it. I promise to get some interesting
Ireland pictures posted this coming week. I just
under two more weeks to see what I'm going to see
of Ireland. I'll get as much of it posted as possible.
Updated 'From the Week' in the margin.
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