More Irish Facts!!

1)  The Titanic cost $7.5 million to build in the year 1912.

2) Ireland has the second highest number of lawyers per capita in the world, after the United States.

3) It was customary at ancient Irish weddings for a couple's clasped hands to be tied together by a rope as a visual representation of their union, which could explain why getting married is often referred to as "tying the knot."

4) Divorce was banned in Ireland  from 1937 until 1995.

5) Today, the average number of children per family in Ireland is 2.7465.  From the 1940's to the 1960's it was 10.

6) There are at least 5 different accents in Dublin alone.

7) J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y, and Z are not used in the Irish alphabet, which only has 18 letters.

8) The sparkling crystal ball that drops in New York's Time Square on New Year's Eve features hundreds of  custom-designed crystals made by Ireland's famed Waterford Crystal.

9) The greatest distance between any two points in Ireland is 302 miles.  However, if all of the stone walls from the country's neolithic and megalithic sites were lined up end to end, they would stretch for a quarter of a million miles.

10) When the Abbey Theatre opened in Dublin in 1904, part of the building that housed it had previously functioned as the city morgue.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Love Always,

Amanda

All facts came from the book Little Facts About Well-Known Places - Ireland by David Hoffman.

Irish Facts

St. Patrick's Day!!  My favorite time of year!  This year, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I have decided to tell you a bit about Ireland.  I recently came across a book in Barnes and Noble and knew the information it contained would be very useful indeed.  Did you know.......

1) There are 2 billion pints of Guinness sold annually worldwide.

2) There are 198 calories in a pint of Guinness - less than a pint of skim milk or orange juice.

3) Ireland has the highest per-capita rate of tea consumption in the world.  The average number of cups consumed by the average Irishman daily is six.

4) St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. 

5) The harp is the symbol of Ireland.

6) Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

7) Gaelic is Ireland's national language. Only in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas of Ireland will you find that Irish is used as the everyday language. In all other parts of Ireland, English is the spoken language.

8) One million gallons of cream are used each year to make Baileys.

9) Ireland has twice as many cattle as people.

10) Since 1969, artists, writers, composers, and sculptors living in Ireland have been exempt from paying income tax.

More facts to follow soon!!

Love Always,

Amanda

All facts listed above came from the book Little Known Facts About Well-Known Places - Ireland by David Hoffman.  Facts were also taken from the website http://ezinearticles.com/?20-Interesting-and-Fun-Facts-About-Ireland&id=2017486.

45 lessons Life Taught Me

Hi Ya'll!  This is an article that was sent to me in an e-mail.  I thought you might all enjoy reading it!   

Love Always,
Amanda 


Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone for everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.. time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Merry Christmas.........

Merry Christmas!  I hope you all had a wonderful day with your loved ones.  Christmas day at my house this year was a joyous event.  My aunt, uncle, and gram all came over a few days before Christmas and spent Christmas Eve and day with us, along with other family members.  We spent the days leading up to Christmas cooking large amounts of food, baking Christmas cookies (and icing them), and watching Christmas movies!  Have I mentioned before how I love this season?!!  As a surprise for my family, my brother and I bought Christmas pajamas to wear on Christmas morning.  These were not your typical pajamas either.  We bought onesy pajamas, the ones that zip up from the bottom.  You know, the ones we use to wear as children when the weather turned cold?  The expressions on my family's faces were priceless!

On Christmas day the whole family came over and ate a large dinner followed by dessert and the opening of presents.  When the day was over we were all so tired, but happy.  Having a large family, we are not able to get together as often as we would like since the families are spread out in locations across the states.  Every year at Christmas though, we manage to come together and all bring love, laughter, and joyous memories to the day.  From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

As Augusta E. Rundel once said, "Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."

Love Always,
Amanda


 

Irish Dancing

Happy Holidays!  Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year.  The smell of cookies baking in the oven and the decorating of the Christmas tree are just a couple of my favourite and fondest memories of Christmas.  Many of you might or might not know, but I Irish dance as a hobby.  It is something I truly enjoy and I have been taking classes/lessons for many years now.  Last week I was asked to perform with my dance school (Ryan School of Irish Dance) at their annual Christmas performance.  Since returning home from Ireland I have not really practiced my steps or been to class.  In rehearsal though, I was dancing away and learning all the new dances and steps in no time at all.  The performance was just lovely and words cannot describe the emotions I felt while listening and dancing to music that is so much a part of who I am.  Below is a small clip of a few dances I was in.  Enjoy!

Love Always,
Amanda

Birthday Weekend Celebration

Hello All,

Last weekend I turned 27!  To celebrate this event, I did what any 27 year old would do - I went duck hunting with my dad.  We woke up at 4am Saturday morning and left the house around 4:30 to head for Gueydan, Louisiana.

Before the sun rose we were already in the duck blind watching the stars in the sky and listening to all the ducks and geese flying around us.  It was an experience I will never forget!

As the sun rose I could not help taking tons of photos!

All in all I had a wonderful day.  I did not kill any ducks, but I did have an experience of a lifetime. 

Love Always,
Amanda

Random Thoughts From People 25-35 Years Old

Hi Y'all,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and did not eat too much turkey.  :-)  My brother and sister came home from college and we had a huge dinner followed by a homemade apple pie.  Mmmmmmm........

Recently a friend sent me an e-mail which I would like you to read.  This e-mail will make you think, giggle, and downright laugh out loud.  I can honestly say that many of these thoughts have crossed my mind through the years.  I hope you enjoy reading these random thoughts and that some of them will bring a smile to your face.

Love Always,
Amanda

 Random Thoughts From People 25-35 Years Old

1) More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

2) Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

3) I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

4) I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

5) Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

6) Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

7) There is a great need for sarcasm font.

8) I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

9) How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

10) I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

11) I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

12) LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

13) I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

14) Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

15) How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

16) I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

17) Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies".

18) What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

19) While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

20) I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

21) Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22) I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

23) Bad decisions make good stories.

24) Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning that just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

25) If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

26) Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like, I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem ...

27) You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

28) Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

29) There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30) I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

31) "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

32) I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

33) I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

34) I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

35) When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

36) I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

37) As a driver I hate pedestrians and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

38) Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

39) I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

40) My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

41) I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

42) I think the freezer deserves a light as well.