St. Patrick's Day!!

Hello my fellow Irishmen!

On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish.  And for those of you saying, but wait, I am not Irish, well I am telling you differently.  On this day you are!  This year I experienced my first St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland.  It was a day of mayhem, excitement, and just plain fun.  I can honestly say I have never seen so many people in one area.  And let me tell you…I also have never seen so many Americans in Ireland at one time.  I met people from all over America in the pubs, that’s right, I said pubs.  I did visit more than one you know.  Hey, it was St. Paddy’s Day after all.  Anyway, back to topic.  People were dressed up in all sorts of costumes and hats.  I even had a bit of face paint on me.  One of the best t-shirts I saw said “Who’s Your Paddy?”  Hilarious, let me tell you!  And remember....What happens in Dublin stays in Dublin.  ;)

On this day I also met up with a friend, Casey, from Youngsville, LA.  We went to middle and high school together and he is now working in London.  He came over for St. Patrick’s Day weekend with some friends and we all spent the day and the next day together having fun and touring the city.

Instead of writing about everything that happened on this crazy day in one paragraph, I have decided to outline my day for you.  Aren't you excited!!

8:00am Wake-up

10:00am A group of us left Proby House for DART station (train) to Dublin City Center. We were all dressed up, some of us in costume, and ready for a fun filled day.

10:30am We arrived in the city center. We then tried to find a spot for the parade which started at 12 noon.  The bad news…..we were too late to really find a spot. The parade route was 1.5 miles long, but all along the route it was five and six people deep. For people like me, vertically challenged, I had to rely on others to take pictures for me. Even when I held my camera above my head to take photos I was too short. Humph…… You might be thinking, but wait, what about the other children who could not see either.  Ooooooh, they could see alright. They were on top of their parent’s shoulders and that was one reason why I could not see. It was all in fun though, and I still got some good pics.

 
2:00pm-12am I met with Casey and two friends who traveled with him to visit Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. From this time on, we went to about 6 pubs, drank Guinness, and sang with all the local bands.  Each pub had live music all night long. We probably would have gone to more pubs, but we were not allowed in a few because they had already reached maximum capacity. Around 11pm going on 12am my day/night ended with all of us thoroughly exhausted.
 

All around, it was a very enjoyable day!

Love Always,

Amanda

Alicante, Spain - Spring Break 2011

Hi everyone!

Well, I have made it back from Alicante, Spain and I feel sooooooo relaxed.  Sort of.  Are we ever truely relaxed at any one point in time? We all had a great holiday even though the weather was very temperamental. It would be sunny one day and cloudy the next. The temperature was in the 50’s the whole time, but that did not stop us from wearing our summer dresses, skirts, and shorts. Heck, for us that was warm! Right now in Ireland it is around 40 degrees every day. Anyway….I actually got a tan! Yea! So excited! I am hoping it will last the whole summer, but I am not holding my breath.

I cannot believe how fast this past week flew by. To stay occupied we did everything from water gun fights to dress-up in costume evenings to barbequing hamburgers. You have no idea how much I miss real barbeque! We had a grill in the backyard, and we put it to good use every evening. I can honestly say it was pure heaven.

I am now back in school and busier then ever. Finals are in seven weeks, but it feels more like three. I am very excited though because Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day and a national holiday. Yea! A day of rest……..sort of.  :)  There are parades all day and events happening all evening. It’s a shame Friday cannot be a holiday also because I believe many people will need the extra day off. Hehe! Anyway, that’s all for now. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures on Thursday so be sure to check back.

Love Always,
Amanda

The gang!  This was the "before the water gun
fight" photo.

Where we stayed for the week.

Self photo

The beach near our house

One of the many jellyfish that were all
over the beach. 

Me and my cowgirl hat.

Some orange groves near our house

UCD Smurfit Graduate Ball.....1920's Style

Hello Hello!!

This past weekend was the annual UCD Smurfit Graduate Ball, and I felt like Cinderella all dressed up in my blue ball gown and silver slippers. It truly was an enchanting night. The ball was held at Killashee House Hotel. The hotel is “set amidst over 200 acres of manicured gardens, with magnificent views over the Wicklow Mountains and Kildare countryside.” The theme for the ball was 1920’s and I can honestly say the university went all out for the decorations. When we arrived at the hotel there was a red carpet for us to walk down with different characters dressed in 1920’s dress to welcome us. Once everyone was in, the characters (flappers and gangsters) went around taking photos with people and staging different acts. There was even a 5 piece band playing….you guessed it, 1920’s music. For dinner we were served a soup, main course, and cheesecake for dessert. After dinner the real fun began. The entertainment for the night was a band called Spring Break. They played all 80’s music and I was in heaven. I LOVE THE 80’S. Always have and always will. The night (or morning) ended around 3am when we got back on to the busses and headed back to Dublin. Oh what a fun night we had!

Love Always,
Amanda

http://www.killasheehouse.com/

That's me!  You cannot see them,
but I have sliver slippers on.

This is what the back of my gown looked like.

Amanda, Paddy, and Niamh

Niamh, Cady, Michael, and Amanda

I told you there were flappers and gansters
all around!

Amanda and Niamh

How I Relax.....

Hello Friends and Family!

I hope this blog finds you well. Over the past few weeks, my classes have been in full gear with assignments coming due and a bucket load of readings to complete each week. I am not getting stressed out though (yeah right!). No really, I am trying to take everything in stride and when I feel myself becoming overwhelmed with the workload I simply change my clothes and go for a run. Lately I have been running down to a small seaside town called Dun Laoghaire. Wait for it……..and guess what?!! The path I take is along the Dublin Bay or the Irish Sea. It is about a 3 to 4 mile run all along the Irish coast. It is so relaxing to watch out as I run that time simply stands still and I could run for hours and not feel tired. Once I arrive in Dun Laoghaire I usually walk down to the harbor and look out at even more amazing views of the town and surrounding landscape.

Almost every Sunday morning I travel to Dun Laoghaire to buy my produce and vegetables from the local farmer’s market in the town park.  There are many stands selling local foods (bread, cheese, candy) and local homemade crafts.  I cannot wait for the weather to turn warmer so I can bring my picnic blanket to lay out on and read while taking in some rays.

 
Love Always,
Amanda
 
http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/