thing i love about bellingham number 152,033
(okay not really but the point is there are MANY things i love about bellingham)
ahem.
walking home in the brisk, fall bellingham air
crunching leaves against the sidewalk
the breeze makes you shiver
...then you see someone you think you may know, crossing in the upcoming crosswalk
(you cant be sure b/c you forgot your glasses in your car that morning...weird but true)
as the figure gets closer you realise you DO know this person!
and then you hug them
say hello
then keep walking home.
its great
and i love it here
:)
xx
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
sick days at the ice box
so yesterday morning i spend 3 1/2 hours in the emergency room with a fever of 102 (i usually hang out around 96 or 97 so thats real high for me), a relentless cough, headache, etc
turns out i have a real bad case of the flu
thankfully its not h1n1, but im feelin pretty low
my fever keeps bouncing between 99.8 and 101.5
im basically bed ridden
the doctor said no school or work for 10 days
work has been really REALLY understanding which has been such a blessing
i sent out emails to my professors today about it; lets hope theyre as understanding about it
amidst all this feeling-like-crap, i have rediscovered that i have amazing friends (not that i ever forgot, but man have they stepped up their game!)
when i got home yesterday afternoon from the ER, jamie had a plate of toast and oranges and some water for me with my bed all turned down for me to collapse into. she then went to the store and got me all the essentials; extra strength tylenol, gatorade, chicken soup, and saltines
shes amazing
really she is
ALSO
today as i was getting ready for my parents to pick me up tomorrow (theyre fantastic and are driving up to come get me so i can be sick and feeling awful with them and not get my roommates sick!) katie stone and fred sprinkle (gosh i love his name!) came by and dropped off some homemade chicken soup and cookies for me!
THEN
lina came by and dropped off some more chicken soup, a card, and notes from Bible study!
seriously
amazing friends
and all throughout the day i kept getting get well messages from ppl
goodness
if i ever doubted that im loved, heres proof that i am.
so thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts or some get well soon prayers
i really appreciate you!!!
xx
turns out i have a real bad case of the flu
thankfully its not h1n1, but im feelin pretty low
my fever keeps bouncing between 99.8 and 101.5
im basically bed ridden
the doctor said no school or work for 10 days
work has been really REALLY understanding which has been such a blessing
i sent out emails to my professors today about it; lets hope theyre as understanding about it
amidst all this feeling-like-crap, i have rediscovered that i have amazing friends (not that i ever forgot, but man have they stepped up their game!)
when i got home yesterday afternoon from the ER, jamie had a plate of toast and oranges and some water for me with my bed all turned down for me to collapse into. she then went to the store and got me all the essentials; extra strength tylenol, gatorade, chicken soup, and saltines
shes amazing
really she is
ALSO
today as i was getting ready for my parents to pick me up tomorrow (theyre fantastic and are driving up to come get me so i can be sick and feeling awful with them and not get my roommates sick!) katie stone and fred sprinkle (gosh i love his name!) came by and dropped off some homemade chicken soup and cookies for me!
THEN
lina came by and dropped off some more chicken soup, a card, and notes from Bible study!
seriously
amazing friends
and all throughout the day i kept getting get well messages from ppl
goodness
if i ever doubted that im loved, heres proof that i am.
so thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts or some get well soon prayers
i really appreciate you!!!
xx
Thursday, October 1, 2009
raindrops are fallin' on my head
well i figure its time for an update...
so i didnt get the teach for america thing
which is a bummer
but as we've seen is the underlying theme in our house right now;
its all part of the plan. God has something better in store for me, i just have to have faith in Him that things will work out alright.
as dad says; everything will be alright in the end. if its not alright then its not the end!
so im searching to find something that captures my heart or atleast my interest
something to do when i graduate
which is hopefully this year!
(i basically find out tomorrow if i'm graduating on time)
right now everyone in our house is getting sick
sore throats, headaches, and sniffly noses galore
its wonderful
(sense the sarcasm?)
but i have a wonderful roommate named jamie eileen muller who makes yummy delicious chili for me and heats it up when im on my way home from work
gosh i love her!
other than the sick parade ive just been working a lot and doing school
which, by the way, is pretty interesting.
i like my classes, i just dont particularly like getting up for them in the mornings!
my favorite is 16/17th century renaissance epic novel. sounds intense, and it is. my prof is the hilarious type of crazy, wearing things like lilac suits, ray-ban sunglasses inside, and slicked back hair. hes gotta be pushing 70 and hes such a kick in the pants!
love it.
the rain has finally set in, along with the inherent sense of autumn; my favorite!
blankets, tea, and good books deck the inside of our house just as the leaves cover our front yard.
today's especially fall-like, with the pouring rain and freezing temperatures! (it doesnt help that we're not turning on our heat till the very last possible time!)
tomorrow im going home to silverdale for the weekend
going to see wicked on saturday along with dinner at benny hana's. im pretty excited. tho ive no idea what to wear!
i think thats about it for the update.
this blog seems especially scattered and void of any coherent train of thought, but thats about how im feeling right now! haha
thats all for now
stay dry
xx
so i didnt get the teach for america thing
which is a bummer
but as we've seen is the underlying theme in our house right now;
its all part of the plan. God has something better in store for me, i just have to have faith in Him that things will work out alright.
as dad says; everything will be alright in the end. if its not alright then its not the end!
so im searching to find something that captures my heart or atleast my interest
something to do when i graduate
which is hopefully this year!
(i basically find out tomorrow if i'm graduating on time)
right now everyone in our house is getting sick
sore throats, headaches, and sniffly noses galore
its wonderful
(sense the sarcasm?)
but i have a wonderful roommate named jamie eileen muller who makes yummy delicious chili for me and heats it up when im on my way home from work
gosh i love her!
other than the sick parade ive just been working a lot and doing school
which, by the way, is pretty interesting.
i like my classes, i just dont particularly like getting up for them in the mornings!
my favorite is 16/17th century renaissance epic novel. sounds intense, and it is. my prof is the hilarious type of crazy, wearing things like lilac suits, ray-ban sunglasses inside, and slicked back hair. hes gotta be pushing 70 and hes such a kick in the pants!
love it.
the rain has finally set in, along with the inherent sense of autumn; my favorite!
blankets, tea, and good books deck the inside of our house just as the leaves cover our front yard.
today's especially fall-like, with the pouring rain and freezing temperatures! (it doesnt help that we're not turning on our heat till the very last possible time!)
tomorrow im going home to silverdale for the weekend
going to see wicked on saturday along with dinner at benny hana's. im pretty excited. tho ive no idea what to wear!
i think thats about it for the update.
this blog seems especially scattered and void of any coherent train of thought, but thats about how im feeling right now! haha
thats all for now
stay dry
xx
Saturday, September 12, 2009
just wishin, and hopin, and thinkin, and prayin
so lately its hit me that this is my last year of college
well duh
but... that means the real world.
with a real job.
and paying real bills (not that my bills now are any less real!)
but; that stuff's scary.
mostly the real job part.
like, what am i going to DO with my life?
i'll tell ya one thing; that sure is a good question.
so, well, as those of you who really know me know, i am a woman of faith, and i pray a whole heck of a lot.
so ive been praying on this topic for a long time. (and by a long time, i mean about a month or so...not that long in the grand scheme of things!)
anyhow
i just dont know what i want to do.
ive done the whole 'i want to be a professional ballerina' thing, granted i was only 3 or 4 at the time, but basically, ive dreamt big before
then there was the 'i want to be an archaeologist' bit of time there where i was obsessed with the history of egypt
then came the most feasible dream; the 'i want to be a teacher' obsession.
since i was probably 10, ive known that i want to teach.
i dont know, just something about helping someone learn something just really tugs at my heart strings
so that was a huge phase of my life. i even started volunteering in the elementary school i went to. yep, 7th through 12th grade i was at Silver Ridge Elementary working with kids, helping them learn. it was fantastic and i loved it! but then at the end, right before college, something changed in me and i deeply questioned if that was really what i was meant to do. i loved it, but what if i got tired of it one day? what if i wasnt a good teacher? what if i failed the children i was teaching?
these questions haunted me and in a swift little tap dance of sorts i switched my 'intended college major' from secondary education and english to music; vocal performance to be exact.
college began, with unsurprising anxiety as its sidekick. being a music major was great and all, but it wasnt what i was truly meant to do.
so english took center stage again and music took the chorus line. however, secondary education was still in the wings, on its way out to the audience to enjoy the show. i still doubted that i would ever be a good teacher; the same unsettling fears arising again. (darn those insecurities!)
well so now its senior year and im still an english major with a minor in music, and i want to teach.
there. i said it. i want to teach.
but heres the kicker; since im about to start my final year, its too late to enter into the teaching department here at western, without extending my time here another couple years. and as much as i love school (i want to teach afterall, so i must have some sort of liking of school), i dont really want to be in college forever, nor can i afford to be in college forever!
so i was talking with my roommate jamie about the subject.
the usual career points came up.
maybe i want to be an editor.
maybe i want to be in publishing.
maybe i'll never end up doing anything in english.
and then i spilled; for some strange reason, everything inside of me yearns to teach. i want to be a part of peoples' lives and to make a difference.
this is where jamie is the best idea thinker-upper ever (not to mention a pretty great friend and roommate!)
she says to me, 'well, have you ever thought of Teach For America?'
the lightbulb comes on.
TEACH FOR AMERICA!!!
why hadn't i ever thought of that?!?
this girl is truly a genius.
teach for america is a government sponsored program helping children get the learning opportunities they deserve, in places which dont always have the best access to these sorts of resources.
its really interesting and a really great thing they are doing.
you should check it out at https://www.teachforamerica.org/
so
basically
i want this.
i want so badly to get into this program.
and believe me, it takes a lot for me to have finally decided this!
i feel like 'the real world' has been a long time coming.
its like
when youre in elementary school you long for junior high as a means to get to high school. when you finally get there, its pretty good. the classes are better and there are more people to get to know. but really, everyone knows why youre living out those three long years roaming the halls; to get to COLLEGE.
getting into western was my dream for as long as i can remember.
then i did.
and it was amazing. everything i expected of college and more. ive met some of the most amazing people here.
so thats it, right?
just get to college.
thats the goal.
but wait; now college is nearly over and the real world is knocking at the door.
how do i answer?
should i take time to fix my hair in the mirror?
do i need to take a breath mint first?
how about make a quick sweep of my house and straighten anything out of place?
i feel so unprepared.
but then,
i take a second and look around me
i realize, im probably going to be okay.
writing those words; im going to be okay, its like its finally hitting me.
it IS going to be okay.
my parents have given me all the tools i need to succeed in life.
if i get in to Teach for America, i know i can do it. i know i can live far away from home (right now im looking at the mississippi delta area, or hawaii, or tennessee, or...who knows?)
i mean, i lived in ireland, and living in 'the middle' of the u.s. is basically half that distance!
plus i could come home for holidays
and oly's wedding of course! (thats something that hit me like a ton of bricks; being maid of honour i need to be there for her!)
and...
it'll be okay.
so i'll apply.
whats the worst that could happen? i won't get in. then there are job fairs and tools and resources to help me find a job. i wont be alone. i have my friends and family here for support and, as always, God and my Guardian Angels are looking after me. (I love you Grandpa George!)
and if i get in....
wow.
what an experience!
i sincerely hope i do.
so
i guess
after all of this, maybe ive gone from thinking maybe i want to do this and hopefully things will work out in the end to i CRAVE this experience and i KNOW things will be okay in the end.
its like my dad always tells me;
'everything will be alright in the end. if it's not alright, then its not the end'
and of course all i need is a little faith.
faith in myself that i can do this
faith that things will be alright in the end
faith in God.
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'
Hebrews 11:1
well duh
but... that means the real world.
with a real job.
and paying real bills (not that my bills now are any less real!)
but; that stuff's scary.
mostly the real job part.
like, what am i going to DO with my life?
i'll tell ya one thing; that sure is a good question.
so, well, as those of you who really know me know, i am a woman of faith, and i pray a whole heck of a lot.
so ive been praying on this topic for a long time. (and by a long time, i mean about a month or so...not that long in the grand scheme of things!)
anyhow
i just dont know what i want to do.
ive done the whole 'i want to be a professional ballerina' thing, granted i was only 3 or 4 at the time, but basically, ive dreamt big before
then there was the 'i want to be an archaeologist' bit of time there where i was obsessed with the history of egypt
then came the most feasible dream; the 'i want to be a teacher' obsession.
since i was probably 10, ive known that i want to teach.
i dont know, just something about helping someone learn something just really tugs at my heart strings
so that was a huge phase of my life. i even started volunteering in the elementary school i went to. yep, 7th through 12th grade i was at Silver Ridge Elementary working with kids, helping them learn. it was fantastic and i loved it! but then at the end, right before college, something changed in me and i deeply questioned if that was really what i was meant to do. i loved it, but what if i got tired of it one day? what if i wasnt a good teacher? what if i failed the children i was teaching?
these questions haunted me and in a swift little tap dance of sorts i switched my 'intended college major' from secondary education and english to music; vocal performance to be exact.
college began, with unsurprising anxiety as its sidekick. being a music major was great and all, but it wasnt what i was truly meant to do.
so english took center stage again and music took the chorus line. however, secondary education was still in the wings, on its way out to the audience to enjoy the show. i still doubted that i would ever be a good teacher; the same unsettling fears arising again. (darn those insecurities!)
well so now its senior year and im still an english major with a minor in music, and i want to teach.
there. i said it. i want to teach.
but heres the kicker; since im about to start my final year, its too late to enter into the teaching department here at western, without extending my time here another couple years. and as much as i love school (i want to teach afterall, so i must have some sort of liking of school), i dont really want to be in college forever, nor can i afford to be in college forever!
so i was talking with my roommate jamie about the subject.
the usual career points came up.
maybe i want to be an editor.
maybe i want to be in publishing.
maybe i'll never end up doing anything in english.
and then i spilled; for some strange reason, everything inside of me yearns to teach. i want to be a part of peoples' lives and to make a difference.
this is where jamie is the best idea thinker-upper ever (not to mention a pretty great friend and roommate!)
she says to me, 'well, have you ever thought of Teach For America?'
the lightbulb comes on.
TEACH FOR AMERICA!!!
why hadn't i ever thought of that?!?
this girl is truly a genius.
teach for america is a government sponsored program helping children get the learning opportunities they deserve, in places which dont always have the best access to these sorts of resources.
its really interesting and a really great thing they are doing.
you should check it out at https://www.teachforamerica.org/
so
basically
i want this.
i want so badly to get into this program.
and believe me, it takes a lot for me to have finally decided this!
i feel like 'the real world' has been a long time coming.
its like
when youre in elementary school you long for junior high as a means to get to high school. when you finally get there, its pretty good. the classes are better and there are more people to get to know. but really, everyone knows why youre living out those three long years roaming the halls; to get to COLLEGE.
getting into western was my dream for as long as i can remember.
then i did.
and it was amazing. everything i expected of college and more. ive met some of the most amazing people here.
so thats it, right?
just get to college.
thats the goal.
but wait; now college is nearly over and the real world is knocking at the door.
how do i answer?
should i take time to fix my hair in the mirror?
do i need to take a breath mint first?
how about make a quick sweep of my house and straighten anything out of place?
i feel so unprepared.
but then,
i take a second and look around me
i realize, im probably going to be okay.
writing those words; im going to be okay, its like its finally hitting me.
it IS going to be okay.
my parents have given me all the tools i need to succeed in life.
if i get in to Teach for America, i know i can do it. i know i can live far away from home (right now im looking at the mississippi delta area, or hawaii, or tennessee, or...who knows?)
i mean, i lived in ireland, and living in 'the middle' of the u.s. is basically half that distance!
plus i could come home for holidays
and oly's wedding of course! (thats something that hit me like a ton of bricks; being maid of honour i need to be there for her!)
and...
it'll be okay.
so i'll apply.
whats the worst that could happen? i won't get in. then there are job fairs and tools and resources to help me find a job. i wont be alone. i have my friends and family here for support and, as always, God and my Guardian Angels are looking after me. (I love you Grandpa George!)
and if i get in....
wow.
what an experience!
i sincerely hope i do.
so
i guess
after all of this, maybe ive gone from thinking maybe i want to do this and hopefully things will work out in the end to i CRAVE this experience and i KNOW things will be okay in the end.
its like my dad always tells me;
'everything will be alright in the end. if it's not alright, then its not the end'
and of course all i need is a little faith.
faith in myself that i can do this
faith that things will be alright in the end
faith in God.
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'
Hebrews 11:1
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
today this could be the greatest day of our lives
oh hey!
its been a while
or it sure seems that way!
school and work have basically taken over my life!!!
while school is getting harder and harder as the quarter passes the halfway point, work gets more intense.
in case you didnt know; i got a job at sears in the fine jewelry/customer service department. so im going through diamond/gemstone/gold/other fine jewelry info training right now. INTENSE. and by intense i mean i get super tired of staring at a computer screen for hours on end! but when im actually out on the floor job shadowing and helping out where i can during these first coupla weeks, its great. i LOVE being around jewelry all day! haha
if you know me, you know i LOVE the bling! haha it great :)
but its just really exhausting b/c i get done with work early to mid evening then i have to do all my homework for the next day. it gets hard not being able to go out dancing in the middle of the week with my roommates/neighbours/other friends. (wow im lovin the slashes in this blog! haha)
anyways
other than that, life hasnt been too super exciting lately
i dont remember if i said it in my last blog, but ive been blessed to have the opportunity to help lead worship at the INN last week and the week prior! it was AMAZING. something i never thought id do. i loved every second of it. the first week i sang we had the INN outside so it was kinda hard to hear everyone during worship and i was really nervous since it was my first time doing anything but socializing and listening to the message at the INN. but the second week, holy pants. it was WONDERFUL. we were in the sanctuary b/c the weather was less than fantastic and the acoustics were sooo great! it was a much more intimate environment with everyone in the first 6 rows or so of the pews, dim lighting, candles at the end of every pew, and myself along with two fantastic gentlemen on guitar leading worship. i got to lead one song on my own; Beautiful One. it was amazing. one of my favourite songs as well :)
well now its wednesday night and as astonishing as it is, im finished with my homework before 11!!!! so we're going to harry potter 2nite. im SO excited!!!!!! gosh im such a child, but i love it :)
as for the rest of this week; school, work, probably some chill time, and just enjoying summer (even though it doesnt quite feel like summer a lot of the time!) OH! so today for english we had class outside for half of it, which was wonderful, but i was in my work clothes; AKA ALL BLACK. i was sweltering. haha. and got sunburned! in an hour! wow im pale. well, more pinkish now, but you get the jist.
OH AGAIN! i got a new computer this weekend!!! its a dell inspiron and very different from my mac, but i think thats a good thing :) i LOVE it, even if my credit card doesnt. haha. that ones going to take a lot of time at sears to pay off!!! but i needed it and it was well worth it :)
well folks
i think thats about it for now
lifes not super exciting right now, but it suits me :)
i DEFINITELY miss dublin
the hustle bussle and all that jazz
the ACCENT
the people of course :)
but i think this is where im meant to be right now.
im sure i'll be going back though. ireland is positively in my heart. its funny how one second i'll be walking to school and all the sudden something will seem so inherently irish for a second... i catch myself daydreaming about what id be doing if i were there now, what everyones doing... but then i have to remind myself that bellingham is great too. that im blessed to live in the pacific northwest! (gosh i love washington) and that even though i dont know what will happen in the future (heck, i dont know whats gonna happen tomorrow!) that ireland will still be there for me to visit again someday
anyhow
peace out trout!
TIME FOR SOME HARRY POTTER!!! :)
its been a while
or it sure seems that way!
school and work have basically taken over my life!!!
while school is getting harder and harder as the quarter passes the halfway point, work gets more intense.
in case you didnt know; i got a job at sears in the fine jewelry/customer service department. so im going through diamond/gemstone/gold/other fine jewelry info training right now. INTENSE. and by intense i mean i get super tired of staring at a computer screen for hours on end! but when im actually out on the floor job shadowing and helping out where i can during these first coupla weeks, its great. i LOVE being around jewelry all day! haha
if you know me, you know i LOVE the bling! haha it great :)
but its just really exhausting b/c i get done with work early to mid evening then i have to do all my homework for the next day. it gets hard not being able to go out dancing in the middle of the week with my roommates/neighbours/other friends. (wow im lovin the slashes in this blog! haha)
anyways
other than that, life hasnt been too super exciting lately
i dont remember if i said it in my last blog, but ive been blessed to have the opportunity to help lead worship at the INN last week and the week prior! it was AMAZING. something i never thought id do. i loved every second of it. the first week i sang we had the INN outside so it was kinda hard to hear everyone during worship and i was really nervous since it was my first time doing anything but socializing and listening to the message at the INN. but the second week, holy pants. it was WONDERFUL. we were in the sanctuary b/c the weather was less than fantastic and the acoustics were sooo great! it was a much more intimate environment with everyone in the first 6 rows or so of the pews, dim lighting, candles at the end of every pew, and myself along with two fantastic gentlemen on guitar leading worship. i got to lead one song on my own; Beautiful One. it was amazing. one of my favourite songs as well :)
well now its wednesday night and as astonishing as it is, im finished with my homework before 11!!!! so we're going to harry potter 2nite. im SO excited!!!!!! gosh im such a child, but i love it :)
as for the rest of this week; school, work, probably some chill time, and just enjoying summer (even though it doesnt quite feel like summer a lot of the time!) OH! so today for english we had class outside for half of it, which was wonderful, but i was in my work clothes; AKA ALL BLACK. i was sweltering. haha. and got sunburned! in an hour! wow im pale. well, more pinkish now, but you get the jist.
OH AGAIN! i got a new computer this weekend!!! its a dell inspiron and very different from my mac, but i think thats a good thing :) i LOVE it, even if my credit card doesnt. haha. that ones going to take a lot of time at sears to pay off!!! but i needed it and it was well worth it :)
well folks
i think thats about it for now
lifes not super exciting right now, but it suits me :)
i DEFINITELY miss dublin
the hustle bussle and all that jazz
the ACCENT
the people of course :)
but i think this is where im meant to be right now.
im sure i'll be going back though. ireland is positively in my heart. its funny how one second i'll be walking to school and all the sudden something will seem so inherently irish for a second... i catch myself daydreaming about what id be doing if i were there now, what everyones doing... but then i have to remind myself that bellingham is great too. that im blessed to live in the pacific northwest! (gosh i love washington) and that even though i dont know what will happen in the future (heck, i dont know whats gonna happen tomorrow!) that ireland will still be there for me to visit again someday
anyhow
peace out trout!
TIME FOR SOME HARRY POTTER!!! :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
hey there beautiful
oh america.
i missed you.
well its been a VERY long time since ive last written
but theres no time like the present right?!?
right.
so
when i got back to washington i stayed in silverdale for about 2 weeks or so and it was just wonderful to be home with the fam for a bit. i missed them an awful lot! they threw me a wonderful welcome home party (thanks to all of you who came, by the way!) and it was just some nice down time after such an adventure!
in the last week i was home, grandpa earl came up from san jose to visit. that was fantastic! its always such a blessing to see him!
now im back in bellingham, on the first day of the second week of classes.
a lot has happened in a week; a lot of ups and downs.
this summer im staying in my roommate ly's room since shes gone to ellensburg to study at central washington university and to be with her boyfriend. in the fall when caroline goes to argentina for a quarter, i'll move about 10 feet into her room. then she and i will share a room for winter and spring quarter. if i can share a room with anyone its caroline! having met as random roommates first year of college, she and i are two peas in a pod. its wonderful to be back at school with her :)
anyhow.
so bellingham.
WOW ive missed it.
its been so gorgeous up here lately; it feels like heaven.
well, aside from all the darn homework and job searching!
so this summer im taking 3 classes (i know; 3 summer classes, i must be crazy! in the summer, classes are taught in just about half the time they normally take in a quarter during the school year..that makes them REALLY hard.)
so im taking english 313; the history of critical and cultural theory, journalism 190;intro to mass media, and geology 101; as my english prof put it- 'rocks for jocks' haha
so that keeps me pretty busy and relatively stressed out.
on top of that ive been working my tail off trying to find a job!
having no money is ZERO fun, but hopefully that changes real fast!
i have a secondary interview with sears tomorrow afternoon; interviewing with a departmental manager for a potential position working under them. as well, i have an interview with bath and body works on thursday, which would be a fun job!
so fingers crossed i get a job this week!!! :)
this last weekend was pretty darn good.
caroline and i were the only roommates up in bham this weekend so we got some quality time together. also, we deep cleaned the house yesterday; it was in dire need of some TLC. on top of that, my allergies are basically out of control and having so much dust and dog hair from one of our roommates' dogs visiting, i had asthma attacks just sitting on the couches. NOT FUN.
oh so about my allergies; i had an allergy test over in tacoma while i was staying with the fam; turns out im super allergic to dust mites and grass, dogs, weeds, and tress. but not cats! so good news to gabby; she can stay! haha.
the worst part about my allergies is...well, actually there are a few. well firstly i have to have dust mite covers on my pillows and matresses as well as wash all linens and blankets atleast once a week (makes for a lot of laundry). i have about 5 or 6 different medicines i have to take every day to stay on top of my allergies. AND turns out i have allergy-induced asthma, which means i have to carry around an albuterol inhaler with me everywhere i go. fuuuun stuff.
well, after that riveting bit of info, i dont have much more to update on...
OH!
except for this;
so when i live in bellingham i go to this thing called the INN. its a non-denominational campus ministry based out of first presbyterian church of bellingham. its WONDERFUL. its one place i always feel at home and at peace with myself and, most importantly, with God.
SO
summer INN has begun as of last week and one of the amazing women in my life, katie stone, is a summer INNtern (cute, huh?) anyhow shes also on the worship team at the INN and theyre always welcoming people who want to join in on the worship aspect of INN gatherings;
LONG STORY SHORT (gosh im making this a 'George story' lol)
IM SINGING AT THE INN TOMORROW NIGHT!!! im so excited.
not just me, dont worry (id be so nervous!)
but theres a few of us who just lead the worship througout the service and im SUPER stoked but TERRIBLY nervous!
so good thoughts and prayers that i'll do okay! :)
well folks, thats about it for me.
hope things are going well for all of you.
keep your eyes peeled (idk why i just said that; i dislike that experession!) for a link to another blog; im thinkin a travel blog!
mmkay.
peace out trout =)
xx
i missed you.
well its been a VERY long time since ive last written
but theres no time like the present right?!?
right.
so
when i got back to washington i stayed in silverdale for about 2 weeks or so and it was just wonderful to be home with the fam for a bit. i missed them an awful lot! they threw me a wonderful welcome home party (thanks to all of you who came, by the way!) and it was just some nice down time after such an adventure!
in the last week i was home, grandpa earl came up from san jose to visit. that was fantastic! its always such a blessing to see him!
now im back in bellingham, on the first day of the second week of classes.
a lot has happened in a week; a lot of ups and downs.
this summer im staying in my roommate ly's room since shes gone to ellensburg to study at central washington university and to be with her boyfriend. in the fall when caroline goes to argentina for a quarter, i'll move about 10 feet into her room. then she and i will share a room for winter and spring quarter. if i can share a room with anyone its caroline! having met as random roommates first year of college, she and i are two peas in a pod. its wonderful to be back at school with her :)
anyhow.
so bellingham.
WOW ive missed it.
its been so gorgeous up here lately; it feels like heaven.
well, aside from all the darn homework and job searching!
so this summer im taking 3 classes (i know; 3 summer classes, i must be crazy! in the summer, classes are taught in just about half the time they normally take in a quarter during the school year..that makes them REALLY hard.)
so im taking english 313; the history of critical and cultural theory, journalism 190;intro to mass media, and geology 101; as my english prof put it- 'rocks for jocks' haha
so that keeps me pretty busy and relatively stressed out.
on top of that ive been working my tail off trying to find a job!
having no money is ZERO fun, but hopefully that changes real fast!
i have a secondary interview with sears tomorrow afternoon; interviewing with a departmental manager for a potential position working under them. as well, i have an interview with bath and body works on thursday, which would be a fun job!
so fingers crossed i get a job this week!!! :)
this last weekend was pretty darn good.
caroline and i were the only roommates up in bham this weekend so we got some quality time together. also, we deep cleaned the house yesterday; it was in dire need of some TLC. on top of that, my allergies are basically out of control and having so much dust and dog hair from one of our roommates' dogs visiting, i had asthma attacks just sitting on the couches. NOT FUN.
oh so about my allergies; i had an allergy test over in tacoma while i was staying with the fam; turns out im super allergic to dust mites and grass, dogs, weeds, and tress. but not cats! so good news to gabby; she can stay! haha.
the worst part about my allergies is...well, actually there are a few. well firstly i have to have dust mite covers on my pillows and matresses as well as wash all linens and blankets atleast once a week (makes for a lot of laundry). i have about 5 or 6 different medicines i have to take every day to stay on top of my allergies. AND turns out i have allergy-induced asthma, which means i have to carry around an albuterol inhaler with me everywhere i go. fuuuun stuff.
well, after that riveting bit of info, i dont have much more to update on...
OH!
except for this;
so when i live in bellingham i go to this thing called the INN. its a non-denominational campus ministry based out of first presbyterian church of bellingham. its WONDERFUL. its one place i always feel at home and at peace with myself and, most importantly, with God.
SO
summer INN has begun as of last week and one of the amazing women in my life, katie stone, is a summer INNtern (cute, huh?) anyhow shes also on the worship team at the INN and theyre always welcoming people who want to join in on the worship aspect of INN gatherings;
LONG STORY SHORT (gosh im making this a 'George story' lol)
IM SINGING AT THE INN TOMORROW NIGHT!!! im so excited.
not just me, dont worry (id be so nervous!)
but theres a few of us who just lead the worship througout the service and im SUPER stoked but TERRIBLY nervous!
so good thoughts and prayers that i'll do okay! :)
well folks, thats about it for me.
hope things are going well for all of you.
keep your eyes peeled (idk why i just said that; i dislike that experession!) for a link to another blog; im thinkin a travel blog!
mmkay.
peace out trout =)
xx
Friday, May 22, 2009
planes, trains, and automobiles...well, taxis
the last week or so has been INSANE.
leaving ireland, while necessary to get onto my trip with oly throughout europe, was difficult.
we got to the airport to head to scotland at too early a time for a person to be awake. i had a TON of weight in my bags, but the man checking us in was really great and didnt charge either of us for the extra weight. (mine would have been around 200euro!!!)
the flight wasnt too bad and we found ourselves quickly landed in glasgow, scotland!
glasgow is a beautiful city and far exceeded any expectations i had of it. we had a great time with the live music, shopping, and wonderful accents! the first night we ended up going to an irish pub for dinner! i found that hilarious; leaving ireland to go to an irish pub. haha.
there was this really great place called the box that had an open mic night the first night which we enjoyed a lot. tried out a mexican place which was definitely better than the mexican i had in ireland last semester, but not great all the same. yesterday we did the hop on hop off bus tour of glasgow and saw some of the highlights of the city. we were so tired, though, that we nearly fell asleep on the bus!!!
last night we went to a place called the garage to see cobra starship along with a couple other warm up bands which were pretty good. cobra starship was amazing; so glad oly introduced me to them!!!
now we're on the train from glasgow to london. got up at 4 this morning to get ready and get to the train station on time. we ended up being really early but figured thats better than being rushed for the train! the train takes just under 6 hours to get to london, but atleast it gives us some time to sleep and see the countryside.
tonight we're going to a show in london and for the next couple of days staying with some of oly's family in watford. then its on to south ruislip until the 27th, when we go to paris for a night. on te 28th we'll go back to south ruislip and then on the 1st of june we fly home!!!
its so unreal to think that this whole experience is coming to an end. it seems like just last month when i get the scared girl getting ready for my first overseas journey to live in ireland for 9 months. seems like just last week when i was finally settling into life in dublin. and it seems like just yesterday that i came back to dublin after being home for 2 weeks during the holidays, only to realize that i loved dublin even more than when i left.
this trip has definitely made a huge impact on my life and how i view the world. ya know, its really not as big as it seems. i think that of all the things that have changed about me throughout this trip, ive become more of an adult; more of my own person. maybe thats tacky or too sentimental or cheesy to say, but its the truth.
after everything ive been through during my time abroad; all the ups and downs; the nights spent dancing my heart out and the homesick phone calls home, dublin has made its mark on my heart. this wont be the last of dublin for me. there's no way i could be content with staying away. sorry ireland, youre not rid of me yet!
only 9 more days on this trip and while i cant wait for these next ouple days; getting to know oly's family in england and going back to paris, its hitting me that i get to go HOME soon!!! im so excited to see everyone. :) i said last week that goodbyes are really hard, and my friend replied 'but welcome homes are so great!' i cant wait for that. to see everyone again and know that things will be just as great as they were before i left, and hopefully even better!
2 more hours till england.
9 more days till america.
:)
see you soon loves!
xx
leaving ireland, while necessary to get onto my trip with oly throughout europe, was difficult.
we got to the airport to head to scotland at too early a time for a person to be awake. i had a TON of weight in my bags, but the man checking us in was really great and didnt charge either of us for the extra weight. (mine would have been around 200euro!!!)
the flight wasnt too bad and we found ourselves quickly landed in glasgow, scotland!
glasgow is a beautiful city and far exceeded any expectations i had of it. we had a great time with the live music, shopping, and wonderful accents! the first night we ended up going to an irish pub for dinner! i found that hilarious; leaving ireland to go to an irish pub. haha.
there was this really great place called the box that had an open mic night the first night which we enjoyed a lot. tried out a mexican place which was definitely better than the mexican i had in ireland last semester, but not great all the same. yesterday we did the hop on hop off bus tour of glasgow and saw some of the highlights of the city. we were so tired, though, that we nearly fell asleep on the bus!!!
last night we went to a place called the garage to see cobra starship along with a couple other warm up bands which were pretty good. cobra starship was amazing; so glad oly introduced me to them!!!
now we're on the train from glasgow to london. got up at 4 this morning to get ready and get to the train station on time. we ended up being really early but figured thats better than being rushed for the train! the train takes just under 6 hours to get to london, but atleast it gives us some time to sleep and see the countryside.
tonight we're going to a show in london and for the next couple of days staying with some of oly's family in watford. then its on to south ruislip until the 27th, when we go to paris for a night. on te 28th we'll go back to south ruislip and then on the 1st of june we fly home!!!
its so unreal to think that this whole experience is coming to an end. it seems like just last month when i get the scared girl getting ready for my first overseas journey to live in ireland for 9 months. seems like just last week when i was finally settling into life in dublin. and it seems like just yesterday that i came back to dublin after being home for 2 weeks during the holidays, only to realize that i loved dublin even more than when i left.
this trip has definitely made a huge impact on my life and how i view the world. ya know, its really not as big as it seems. i think that of all the things that have changed about me throughout this trip, ive become more of an adult; more of my own person. maybe thats tacky or too sentimental or cheesy to say, but its the truth.
after everything ive been through during my time abroad; all the ups and downs; the nights spent dancing my heart out and the homesick phone calls home, dublin has made its mark on my heart. this wont be the last of dublin for me. there's no way i could be content with staying away. sorry ireland, youre not rid of me yet!
only 9 more days on this trip and while i cant wait for these next ouple days; getting to know oly's family in england and going back to paris, its hitting me that i get to go HOME soon!!! im so excited to see everyone. :) i said last week that goodbyes are really hard, and my friend replied 'but welcome homes are so great!' i cant wait for that. to see everyone again and know that things will be just as great as they were before i left, and hopefully even better!
2 more hours till england.
9 more days till america.
:)
see you soon loves!
xx
Monday, May 18, 2009
you'll always be in my heart.
i know that people are ready for me to be home. i am too.
but please understand that tonight i need to be upset.
it needs to be okay for me to not be able to stop crying.
this knot in my stomach, though uncomfortable, is completely valid.
im leaving a country i love.
a city i love.
people i love.
it hurts so much to have two places and groups of people that are so deeply imprinted in my heart
its just past 3am here. oly and i have to be up in less than 2 hours to get ready to fly to glasgow. and im in bits. i cant stop crying and i feel like a part of me is breaking off for me to leave in dublin.
but its okay. it has to be.
God doesnt give you more than you can handle, right?
so things have to work out. they just do.
i have to come back to dublin; see the people i love; the friends who have become family.
yes ive only lived here for 9 months and yes i lived in washington forever before that, but dublin has captivated me and the people here have swept me away.
i dont think i ever expected to love this place so much.
i love everything about it.
i love the fact that im so close to the city. (big change from tiny silverdale/ bellingham)
i love the amazing friendships ive built here
i love the double decker buses (even though i miss driving)
i love the architecture, the ACCENT; just....everything. there are too many things for me to name off. too many parts of me i left scattered around ireland to put into a list.
ireland; i love you. thanks for being the change i needed in my life. thanks for helping me become a grown up. thanks for loving me back. <3
tomorrow marks the opening pages of the next chapter of my life;
senior year
living with 4 of the most amazing girls
...and life after ireland
its going to be hard, and i know that ive changed, but i hope its for the better.
tomorrow is glasgow, scotland.
but first its dealing with baggage restrictions on the flight and undoubtedly having to pay an arm and a leg to haul my life all around europe then back to america.
through all the heartache i feel right now, theres still a glimmer of excitement. its going to be a wonderful trip with oly; my soul sister. love that girl so much. after 18 years of friendship, id say we're family :)
so to america:
i love you and i'll see you soon.
to ireland:
i love you, please dont forget me.
love and millions of hugs,
elyse
xx
but please understand that tonight i need to be upset.
it needs to be okay for me to not be able to stop crying.
this knot in my stomach, though uncomfortable, is completely valid.
im leaving a country i love.
a city i love.
people i love.
it hurts so much to have two places and groups of people that are so deeply imprinted in my heart
its just past 3am here. oly and i have to be up in less than 2 hours to get ready to fly to glasgow. and im in bits. i cant stop crying and i feel like a part of me is breaking off for me to leave in dublin.
but its okay. it has to be.
God doesnt give you more than you can handle, right?
so things have to work out. they just do.
i have to come back to dublin; see the people i love; the friends who have become family.
yes ive only lived here for 9 months and yes i lived in washington forever before that, but dublin has captivated me and the people here have swept me away.
i dont think i ever expected to love this place so much.
i love everything about it.
i love the fact that im so close to the city. (big change from tiny silverdale/ bellingham)
i love the amazing friendships ive built here
i love the double decker buses (even though i miss driving)
i love the architecture, the ACCENT; just....everything. there are too many things for me to name off. too many parts of me i left scattered around ireland to put into a list.
ireland; i love you. thanks for being the change i needed in my life. thanks for helping me become a grown up. thanks for loving me back. <3
tomorrow marks the opening pages of the next chapter of my life;
senior year
living with 4 of the most amazing girls
...and life after ireland
its going to be hard, and i know that ive changed, but i hope its for the better.
tomorrow is glasgow, scotland.
but first its dealing with baggage restrictions on the flight and undoubtedly having to pay an arm and a leg to haul my life all around europe then back to america.
through all the heartache i feel right now, theres still a glimmer of excitement. its going to be a wonderful trip with oly; my soul sister. love that girl so much. after 18 years of friendship, id say we're family :)
so to america:
i love you and i'll see you soon.
to ireland:
i love you, please dont forget me.
love and millions of hugs,
elyse
xx
Monday, May 11, 2009
eight days left in ireland... :(
so nature basically hates me.
on top of having hayfever and being allergic to animals and dust and being lactose intolerant, SOMETHING is making me break out in hives, just by being outside.
fun stuff, i know.
went to the doctor today and she was puzzled. said i need to get an allergy test done as soon as i get back to the states, but gave me some medicine and some cream to put on my hives to make them go away.
very frustrating, seeing as i just need to be focusing on exams and packing, not 'how bad will it get when i go outside THIS time.'
aside from that im just studying up for my last exam which is wednesday at 6. the doc said that was good b/c i need to try to avoid going outside for the next day or so if i can help it, to give the medicine a chance to work.
GREAT.
its like bubble boy, only real life. cool beans.
on the upside, i have begun sorting through all my stuff, figuring out what im taking home and what im donating. i have 3 bags of clothes/shoes/stuff to give away. the parentals and i decided that it would be better if i just buy a new suitcase at penneys and bring stuff home rather than shipping books home. more cost effective :)
oly gets to ireland on saturday!!! i cant wait to see her! it seems like it has been AAAGES.
our trip is shaping up nicely. glasgow, then down to england, paris for a night, then back to england to fly home.
HOME. im so excited. i love it here, dont get me wrong, and i dont want to spend my last week (tear) here being ready to go home, but i think its just time. i know that one day i'll be able to come back to ireland, but its just a matter of WHEN.
so thats kind of a bummer; not know when i'll be able to come back.
but i know i have exciting things and new adventures waiting for me back home :)
cant wait to live in the little blue house, aka the ice box, with caroline, jamie, brittany, and ly. we're going to have so much fun! :)
getting a JOB. (i REALLY need one after this year!)
SENIOR YEAR. gosh thats terrifying. the prosepect of life after college; what the heck am i gonna do?!?! hopefully job fairs will clear up that question.
but as for the near future,
im staying inside (gag. stupid allergies)
studying for contemporary spanish theatre exam on wednesday
and im watching friends at 6.30 :)
life's pretty good
(aside from the fact that nature hates me. minor detail. haha)
i hope everythings going well back home.
CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL!!!!!!!
oh yah; bbq at my parents' house on the 6th of june
kinda a welcome home thing
im psyched :)
LOVE AND HUGS.
xx
on top of having hayfever and being allergic to animals and dust and being lactose intolerant, SOMETHING is making me break out in hives, just by being outside.
fun stuff, i know.
went to the doctor today and she was puzzled. said i need to get an allergy test done as soon as i get back to the states, but gave me some medicine and some cream to put on my hives to make them go away.
very frustrating, seeing as i just need to be focusing on exams and packing, not 'how bad will it get when i go outside THIS time.'
aside from that im just studying up for my last exam which is wednesday at 6. the doc said that was good b/c i need to try to avoid going outside for the next day or so if i can help it, to give the medicine a chance to work.
GREAT.
its like bubble boy, only real life. cool beans.
on the upside, i have begun sorting through all my stuff, figuring out what im taking home and what im donating. i have 3 bags of clothes/shoes/stuff to give away. the parentals and i decided that it would be better if i just buy a new suitcase at penneys and bring stuff home rather than shipping books home. more cost effective :)
oly gets to ireland on saturday!!! i cant wait to see her! it seems like it has been AAAGES.
our trip is shaping up nicely. glasgow, then down to england, paris for a night, then back to england to fly home.
HOME. im so excited. i love it here, dont get me wrong, and i dont want to spend my last week (tear) here being ready to go home, but i think its just time. i know that one day i'll be able to come back to ireland, but its just a matter of WHEN.
so thats kind of a bummer; not know when i'll be able to come back.
but i know i have exciting things and new adventures waiting for me back home :)
cant wait to live in the little blue house, aka the ice box, with caroline, jamie, brittany, and ly. we're going to have so much fun! :)
getting a JOB. (i REALLY need one after this year!)
SENIOR YEAR. gosh thats terrifying. the prosepect of life after college; what the heck am i gonna do?!?! hopefully job fairs will clear up that question.
but as for the near future,
im staying inside (gag. stupid allergies)
studying for contemporary spanish theatre exam on wednesday
and im watching friends at 6.30 :)
life's pretty good
(aside from the fact that nature hates me. minor detail. haha)
i hope everythings going well back home.
CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL!!!!!!!
oh yah; bbq at my parents' house on the 6th of june
kinda a welcome home thing
im psyched :)
LOVE AND HUGS.
xx
Monday, May 4, 2009
clouds, soup, and remembering john.
well, studying has basically been my life lately
took a break to have my 21st birthday party on saturday (i aaaactually turn 21 on wednesday...woo)
it was pretty good. good people and all that jazz.
but then it was back to the library today. with my first exam on wednesday (happy birthday to me.) im starting to freak out a little bit...in case you were wondering, there is a LOT to know about 19th century literature!!! surprise surprise.
so im busy with that.
today was a rather dreary irish day. you know; clouds, rain...the whole bit. so thats fun...and by fun i mean depressing and makes me want soup.
so i made soup!
the good kind too.
home-made, soul-soothing, yummy and delicious potato soup.
(well i think its pretty good)
so basically thats exciting. listening to a bitta joshua radin (if you havent heard him, youtube his music. hes baaaasically a genius)
today was a pretty hard day (hence the need for some soul-soothing soup)
aside from study, which is never fun, i couldnt get my mind of john.
it will be a year tomorrow since john howry was taken from his friends and family.
its just hard.
the guy who killed him had sentencing recently and got community service. thats it. no jail time.
so that was a hard blow to take.
its just hard. its hard to understand why God took him from us. its hard to act like im okay. its definitely hard to study for finals at a time like this. ...its just hard.
so thats pretty much the biggest thing in my life and the biggest dread ive been facing; my birthday and the day preceding. because then im reminded that we dont have john.
i know im going on about this and its not exactly the most uplifting blog ive ever written, but its something i have to share, because maybe in getting it out, maybe, just maybe, a piece of my heart can mend.
and i'll never forget my 20th birthday.
for all the birthdays ive had and all the ones i'll have, my 20th will be the most memorable.
i'll never forget the panic in oly's voice as i listened to her voicemail for me to call her as soon as i was out of class. the wave of anxiety that washed over me as i dialed her number again and again until she picked up. the birthday wish that was cut short by the kind of news you never want to hear. 'happy birthday....john howry's gone.'
its the kind of thing you wake up from in the middle of the night, because it was a nightmare. but it wasnt a dream here. it was a full on real, living nightmare. the kind you cant wake up from.
i'll never forget john and i'll never forget how he used to make us all laugh until no sound came out.
he was such a big part of my high school experience. the days spent getting ready for shows in the theatre. tech days spent painting sets and laughing over taco bell lunch breaks.
his jokes.
the way he took a printed-on-paper, black and white ink role, and brought it to life.
he was such a blessing to all of us.
i'll never forget him.
so i know that blogs are generally my way of telling everyone back home how much im loving ireland and how great it is, and it is, but right now, i could use being home. a hug from someone who knew him and could laugh and cry with me over coffee at the countless 'john stories' we all have.
i could use that really badly.
im sure next post will be more uplifting (atleast i hope it is) but for now, just pray for the Howry family and friends of our friend john. theyre gonna need it, especially tomorrow. thanks.
much love, many hugs, and a world of thanks for any prayers you feel compelled to deliver,
elyse.
xx
took a break to have my 21st birthday party on saturday (i aaaactually turn 21 on wednesday...woo)
it was pretty good. good people and all that jazz.
but then it was back to the library today. with my first exam on wednesday (happy birthday to me.) im starting to freak out a little bit...in case you were wondering, there is a LOT to know about 19th century literature!!! surprise surprise.
so im busy with that.
today was a rather dreary irish day. you know; clouds, rain...the whole bit. so thats fun...and by fun i mean depressing and makes me want soup.
so i made soup!
the good kind too.
home-made, soul-soothing, yummy and delicious potato soup.
(well i think its pretty good)
so basically thats exciting. listening to a bitta joshua radin (if you havent heard him, youtube his music. hes baaaasically a genius)
today was a pretty hard day (hence the need for some soul-soothing soup)
aside from study, which is never fun, i couldnt get my mind of john.
it will be a year tomorrow since john howry was taken from his friends and family.
its just hard.
the guy who killed him had sentencing recently and got community service. thats it. no jail time.
so that was a hard blow to take.
its just hard. its hard to understand why God took him from us. its hard to act like im okay. its definitely hard to study for finals at a time like this. ...its just hard.
so thats pretty much the biggest thing in my life and the biggest dread ive been facing; my birthday and the day preceding. because then im reminded that we dont have john.
i know im going on about this and its not exactly the most uplifting blog ive ever written, but its something i have to share, because maybe in getting it out, maybe, just maybe, a piece of my heart can mend.
and i'll never forget my 20th birthday.
for all the birthdays ive had and all the ones i'll have, my 20th will be the most memorable.
i'll never forget the panic in oly's voice as i listened to her voicemail for me to call her as soon as i was out of class. the wave of anxiety that washed over me as i dialed her number again and again until she picked up. the birthday wish that was cut short by the kind of news you never want to hear. 'happy birthday....john howry's gone.'
its the kind of thing you wake up from in the middle of the night, because it was a nightmare. but it wasnt a dream here. it was a full on real, living nightmare. the kind you cant wake up from.
i'll never forget john and i'll never forget how he used to make us all laugh until no sound came out.
he was such a big part of my high school experience. the days spent getting ready for shows in the theatre. tech days spent painting sets and laughing over taco bell lunch breaks.
his jokes.
the way he took a printed-on-paper, black and white ink role, and brought it to life.
he was such a blessing to all of us.
i'll never forget him.
so i know that blogs are generally my way of telling everyone back home how much im loving ireland and how great it is, and it is, but right now, i could use being home. a hug from someone who knew him and could laugh and cry with me over coffee at the countless 'john stories' we all have.
i could use that really badly.
im sure next post will be more uplifting (atleast i hope it is) but for now, just pray for the Howry family and friends of our friend john. theyre gonna need it, especially tomorrow. thanks.
much love, many hugs, and a world of thanks for any prayers you feel compelled to deliver,
elyse.
xx
Monday, April 27, 2009
awful beautiful
i love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful beautiful life.
things have been INSANE lately
well, basically i put off my essays till last week and theyre kicking my butt.
due tomorrow; two 4,000 word essays
one for african american literature, the other for the writings of mary shelley.
both not so great at the moment.
they need a LOT of polishing
when did i decide this whole being an english major thing was a good idea?
ive never spent so much time in the library in my life...put together.
but i'll be grand tomorrow once theyre turned in
anyhow, rewind to last friday.
UCD BALL.
it was complete and utter madness.
i loved every second of it :)
a bunch of us met at maeve's at 12.30 for cocktails. we made sex on the beach, strawberry passionfruit daiquiris, appletinis, an attempt at pina coladas, and some random drink with all the rest of the ingredients put together. oh and some kopparberg cider. it was AMAZING.
we got to UCD around 4 or so
by then it was sprinkling, but luckily we didnt get full fledged rain till a bit later.
and OMG was it amazing!!!
s club were there...you know, the once-was s club 7
they were faaaaantaaastic!!!
and some other bands id never heard of but were pretty dec' all the same.
by about 11pm it was absolute downpour so we headed to paddy's house to chill for a bit
all in all, it was amazing
wish we had it more often! weekly would be stellar! haha
saturday is a combined birthday party for 3 of my lacrosse friends and i.
cuz ya know
im abouts to be old!
9 days to be exact. lol
WOW time flies.
21 is ollllllddddd.
or maybe i just have an issue with getting older. haha
but anyhow. party on saturday so ima go getta new outfit, maybe even a dress (shocking, i know) on wednesday so i look somewhat decent for my party!
other than that and exams starting up next week, there isnt a whole lot new here
well, i have an exam on my actual birthday so thats pretty frustrating, but hey thats life. atleast its not the day after, thatd be worse! atleast i can go out nd enjoy my birthday :)
THEN oly spamoly comes over to ireland on the 16th
scotland on the 19th
then england
then france
then back to london for the night
THEN HOME.
im excited but sooooooo sad to be leaving ireland.
it always seemed like id have so much time here but now that im leaving it doesnt seem long enough
i cant wait to come back and live here for a bit
who knows
maybe forever
i love ireland
so this summer
moving back up to belligham
well, i'll be with the fam for about a week and a half/2 weeks when i first get back
but then its bellingham
taking summer classes
hopefully finding work at the YMCA or up in bellis fair mall
bellingham in the summer is going to be amazing. i cant wait.
and i REALLY cant wait to drive again. i miss that like WHOA.
sunglasses on, windows down, music WAY up.
yep. its gonna be great.
:)
well i think thats just about all the update i have in my life right now.
pretty exciting overall id say
exciting as in the little things like being nearly done with junior year!!!
but afterall, in life its the little things that count :)
well, until next time
peace out gangstas.
xx
things have been INSANE lately
well, basically i put off my essays till last week and theyre kicking my butt.
due tomorrow; two 4,000 word essays
one for african american literature, the other for the writings of mary shelley.
both not so great at the moment.
they need a LOT of polishing
when did i decide this whole being an english major thing was a good idea?
ive never spent so much time in the library in my life...put together.
but i'll be grand tomorrow once theyre turned in
anyhow, rewind to last friday.
UCD BALL.
it was complete and utter madness.
i loved every second of it :)
a bunch of us met at maeve's at 12.30 for cocktails. we made sex on the beach, strawberry passionfruit daiquiris, appletinis, an attempt at pina coladas, and some random drink with all the rest of the ingredients put together. oh and some kopparberg cider. it was AMAZING.
we got to UCD around 4 or so
by then it was sprinkling, but luckily we didnt get full fledged rain till a bit later.
and OMG was it amazing!!!
s club were there...you know, the once-was s club 7
they were faaaaantaaastic!!!
and some other bands id never heard of but were pretty dec' all the same.
by about 11pm it was absolute downpour so we headed to paddy's house to chill for a bit
all in all, it was amazing
wish we had it more often! weekly would be stellar! haha
saturday is a combined birthday party for 3 of my lacrosse friends and i.
cuz ya know
im abouts to be old!
9 days to be exact. lol
WOW time flies.
21 is ollllllddddd.
or maybe i just have an issue with getting older. haha
but anyhow. party on saturday so ima go getta new outfit, maybe even a dress (shocking, i know) on wednesday so i look somewhat decent for my party!
other than that and exams starting up next week, there isnt a whole lot new here
well, i have an exam on my actual birthday so thats pretty frustrating, but hey thats life. atleast its not the day after, thatd be worse! atleast i can go out nd enjoy my birthday :)
THEN oly spamoly comes over to ireland on the 16th
scotland on the 19th
then england
then france
then back to london for the night
THEN HOME.
im excited but sooooooo sad to be leaving ireland.
it always seemed like id have so much time here but now that im leaving it doesnt seem long enough
i cant wait to come back and live here for a bit
who knows
maybe forever
i love ireland
so this summer
moving back up to belligham
well, i'll be with the fam for about a week and a half/2 weeks when i first get back
but then its bellingham
taking summer classes
hopefully finding work at the YMCA or up in bellis fair mall
bellingham in the summer is going to be amazing. i cant wait.
and i REALLY cant wait to drive again. i miss that like WHOA.
sunglasses on, windows down, music WAY up.
yep. its gonna be great.
:)
well i think thats just about all the update i have in my life right now.
pretty exciting overall id say
exciting as in the little things like being nearly done with junior year!!!
but afterall, in life its the little things that count :)
well, until next time
peace out gangstas.
xx
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
monthly
well i guess this is turning into a sort of monthy thing, blog writing.
amsterdam was pretty good. we only had one match but it was a good one. the whole trip was pretty fantastic, though i didn't take a whole lot of pictures. we got to go to anne frank's house which was probably my favorite part of the whole thing. i loved the city itself. people bicycled everywhere and there was so many gorgeous buildings and bridges! it was wonderful :)
the next thing of note was dublinfest, which was just last week. it was CRAAAAZY. crazy fun! the excitement began monday night with team night out. we all wore our dublinfest 2009 t shirts. tuesday we found out that the dublin girls couldnt field a whole team so ucd girls helped them out. so instead of playing 4 games that day, we played 7. it was madness. that night out we had caveman/cavewoman night out. i made a dress out of a sheet so that was...interesting. lol. next day ucd were scheduled for 2 games and dublin had 3. i played for only one of the dublin games b/c i was so wrecked from the previous day. ucd did really well and made it to the semifinals which would be held the next day. dublin did as well, but had to forfeit b/c ucd weren't allowed to play for them in the semifinals so they couldnt field a team. wednesday night was masked ball night and instead of wearing masks, a bunch of us drew them on with cheap makeup from penneys. it was pretty fun. thursday was an exciting day. unfortunately, we lost at the semifinals against the york a team, who went onto the finals later that day. the ucd men's team won their trophy and the girls came in 3rd. not bad!!! all in all it was a pretty fun week and definitely one to remember!
this weekend was Easter weekend. the o'keefe family had me over for dinner which was AMAZING. i was so so grateful for them to have had me over. they have been amazing during my time here in ireland. really taken me in :) saturday was definitely an american day as i had some people over for dyeing Easter eggs. i made them kraft mac n cheese as well since they'd never experienced it before. lol. we did it again on monday, yesterday, since kate and rachel missed it. this time i made a cake that mom sent me in a package from home as well. kate and rach weren't to impressed with the mac n cheese though!!! haha.
aside from being sick, things have been great here. i feel like im always getting sick over here, which is really annoying since i just want to enjoy my last bit of time i have left over here! tomorrow marks a month until oly comes to visit and im so excited but its so sad as well. as much as im ready to be home and cant wait to be back in bellingham, im going to miss ireland so so so much. its like; i know im going home in just over a month, but i dont know when i'll be able to time wise as well as financially be able to come back to ireland. its heartbreaking, really. ireland has become such a part of me and i just love it so much. im going to miss the people here way more than i could ever explain. some of the girls are probably going to visit me in washington in august, which will be amazing. i cant wait to show them bellingham and little tiny silverdale as well!!!
also
im about to be 21.
CRAZINESS.
i dont think we're doing anything super exciting for it; i always get embarrassed if people make a scene about my birthday and all that jazz. haha. but its going to be nice to come home and be able to order a drink when i go out to dinner :)
OH! and in other exciting news; IM GETTING A WELCOME HOME BBQ!!! im excited :) the madre just told me the other day and i cant wait! i love bbq's :) and i cant wait to go home and hug my dogs. thats one of the biggest things i miss about america; having my pets. its absolutely brutal not having them here! lol
well that about sums life up as of now. i feel like that was a really short post for having over a month's worth of catching up to do, but thats life. plus its going on 11 and since im so sick im definitely ready for bed!
i love you all and cant wait to see you!!!
love from ireland :)
xx
amsterdam was pretty good. we only had one match but it was a good one. the whole trip was pretty fantastic, though i didn't take a whole lot of pictures. we got to go to anne frank's house which was probably my favorite part of the whole thing. i loved the city itself. people bicycled everywhere and there was so many gorgeous buildings and bridges! it was wonderful :)
the next thing of note was dublinfest, which was just last week. it was CRAAAAZY. crazy fun! the excitement began monday night with team night out. we all wore our dublinfest 2009 t shirts. tuesday we found out that the dublin girls couldnt field a whole team so ucd girls helped them out. so instead of playing 4 games that day, we played 7. it was madness. that night out we had caveman/cavewoman night out. i made a dress out of a sheet so that was...interesting. lol. next day ucd were scheduled for 2 games and dublin had 3. i played for only one of the dublin games b/c i was so wrecked from the previous day. ucd did really well and made it to the semifinals which would be held the next day. dublin did as well, but had to forfeit b/c ucd weren't allowed to play for them in the semifinals so they couldnt field a team. wednesday night was masked ball night and instead of wearing masks, a bunch of us drew them on with cheap makeup from penneys. it was pretty fun. thursday was an exciting day. unfortunately, we lost at the semifinals against the york a team, who went onto the finals later that day. the ucd men's team won their trophy and the girls came in 3rd. not bad!!! all in all it was a pretty fun week and definitely one to remember!
this weekend was Easter weekend. the o'keefe family had me over for dinner which was AMAZING. i was so so grateful for them to have had me over. they have been amazing during my time here in ireland. really taken me in :) saturday was definitely an american day as i had some people over for dyeing Easter eggs. i made them kraft mac n cheese as well since they'd never experienced it before. lol. we did it again on monday, yesterday, since kate and rachel missed it. this time i made a cake that mom sent me in a package from home as well. kate and rach weren't to impressed with the mac n cheese though!!! haha.
aside from being sick, things have been great here. i feel like im always getting sick over here, which is really annoying since i just want to enjoy my last bit of time i have left over here! tomorrow marks a month until oly comes to visit and im so excited but its so sad as well. as much as im ready to be home and cant wait to be back in bellingham, im going to miss ireland so so so much. its like; i know im going home in just over a month, but i dont know when i'll be able to time wise as well as financially be able to come back to ireland. its heartbreaking, really. ireland has become such a part of me and i just love it so much. im going to miss the people here way more than i could ever explain. some of the girls are probably going to visit me in washington in august, which will be amazing. i cant wait to show them bellingham and little tiny silverdale as well!!!
also
im about to be 21.
CRAZINESS.
i dont think we're doing anything super exciting for it; i always get embarrassed if people make a scene about my birthday and all that jazz. haha. but its going to be nice to come home and be able to order a drink when i go out to dinner :)
OH! and in other exciting news; IM GETTING A WELCOME HOME BBQ!!! im excited :) the madre just told me the other day and i cant wait! i love bbq's :) and i cant wait to go home and hug my dogs. thats one of the biggest things i miss about america; having my pets. its absolutely brutal not having them here! lol
well that about sums life up as of now. i feel like that was a really short post for having over a month's worth of catching up to do, but thats life. plus its going on 11 and since im so sick im definitely ready for bed!
i love you all and cant wait to see you!!!
love from ireland :)
xx
Saturday, March 7, 2009
oh right...i have a blog to update.
wow. i am quite possibly the worst blog keeper ever. pretty ridiculous really.
well...what has happened in a MONTH.
the snow melted. the sun was SHINING today!!! (that was pretty amazing, and in and of itself made my day)
well we had march madness for lacrosse. that was great...the only bummer was that i was sick with the all too common sinus infection/fever combination. gosh i love having allergies which turn into sinus infections. so great.
our guys team played brilliantly at march madness and won their tourney. the girls were fantastic as well and the progression throughout the two day tournament was so great. i was so proud of them!!! they came in second to dublin.
i'm going to amsterdam to lax it up on thursday so thats pretty exciting. apparently theres a big sephora there so all the girls are excited...i personally cant wait! haha :)
what else... the concert with the rte concert orchestra/choral scholars is rapidly approaching, which, ladies and gentlemen, means CAROLINE IS NEARLY HERE!!! im so excited. counting down. im like a child really. (13 days by the way)
after caro ive a bit of a break, aka school, then OLY COMES OVER!!! omg its going to be insane. i love both those girls so much and i absolutely cannot wait to share my love and adoration of ireland with them! :)
well i had a particularly fantastic day today.
some of the girls stayed at mine last night because we went to a party at flopsys and figured it was easier if they just stay at mine. so we finally got up round 12 or so. paddy and two of the trinity lax players came over for 'breakfast' around 1 or so. we had pancakes and gateau cakes. complete with hot cider :) umm....it was heaven.
rach collected the girls and i at 3 for a bit of shopping in dundrum. that was great. cuz who doesnt love shopping?
then it was home for some dinner and to dye my hair....yes i have an addiction. just a bit of highlights; nothing crazy. got some reddish dye as well to do some lowlights but who knows....im a bit nervous bout that one. we'll see ;)
then met the girls in stillorgan to see 'confessions of a shopaholic' (seemed to suit for a day of shopping) it was brilliant. very cute.
and now im wrecked. absolutely exhausted.
ucd is on spring break now so thats good; no classes for two weeks!
(i feel like im just throwing in random facts now...but i suppose thats suits since im typically pretty ridiculous in writing these things...can never stay to one topic or another. anyhow...)
i think thats basically it
the only small cloud in my beautiful blue sky of a life right now is that with the onset of spring in ireland comes this creeping feeling of homesickeness for the spring i know and love in bellingham. but i suppose i'll just have to ignore that. because as i realised today; my time in ireland is growing shorter and shorter. sad day. sad day indeed. im going to miss ireland more than i could ever say. but enough of that.
summer in bellingham though, thats going to be nice. going to larabee and boulevard parks to climb the rocks/stroll the boardwalk to fairhaven. going to zuanich park to play on the playground during sunset. yep. thats the bellingham i know and love. oh right, and school as well. lol
well im exhausted.
who knows how long till my next post since Lord knows im terrible at this....so bye for now. :)
xx
well...what has happened in a MONTH.
the snow melted. the sun was SHINING today!!! (that was pretty amazing, and in and of itself made my day)
well we had march madness for lacrosse. that was great...the only bummer was that i was sick with the all too common sinus infection/fever combination. gosh i love having allergies which turn into sinus infections. so great.
our guys team played brilliantly at march madness and won their tourney. the girls were fantastic as well and the progression throughout the two day tournament was so great. i was so proud of them!!! they came in second to dublin.
i'm going to amsterdam to lax it up on thursday so thats pretty exciting. apparently theres a big sephora there so all the girls are excited...i personally cant wait! haha :)
what else... the concert with the rte concert orchestra/choral scholars is rapidly approaching, which, ladies and gentlemen, means CAROLINE IS NEARLY HERE!!! im so excited. counting down. im like a child really. (13 days by the way)
after caro ive a bit of a break, aka school, then OLY COMES OVER!!! omg its going to be insane. i love both those girls so much and i absolutely cannot wait to share my love and adoration of ireland with them! :)
well i had a particularly fantastic day today.
some of the girls stayed at mine last night because we went to a party at flopsys and figured it was easier if they just stay at mine. so we finally got up round 12 or so. paddy and two of the trinity lax players came over for 'breakfast' around 1 or so. we had pancakes and gateau cakes. complete with hot cider :) umm....it was heaven.
rach collected the girls and i at 3 for a bit of shopping in dundrum. that was great. cuz who doesnt love shopping?
then it was home for some dinner and to dye my hair....yes i have an addiction. just a bit of highlights; nothing crazy. got some reddish dye as well to do some lowlights but who knows....im a bit nervous bout that one. we'll see ;)
then met the girls in stillorgan to see 'confessions of a shopaholic' (seemed to suit for a day of shopping) it was brilliant. very cute.
and now im wrecked. absolutely exhausted.
ucd is on spring break now so thats good; no classes for two weeks!
(i feel like im just throwing in random facts now...but i suppose thats suits since im typically pretty ridiculous in writing these things...can never stay to one topic or another. anyhow...)
i think thats basically it
the only small cloud in my beautiful blue sky of a life right now is that with the onset of spring in ireland comes this creeping feeling of homesickeness for the spring i know and love in bellingham. but i suppose i'll just have to ignore that. because as i realised today; my time in ireland is growing shorter and shorter. sad day. sad day indeed. im going to miss ireland more than i could ever say. but enough of that.
summer in bellingham though, thats going to be nice. going to larabee and boulevard parks to climb the rocks/stroll the boardwalk to fairhaven. going to zuanich park to play on the playground during sunset. yep. thats the bellingham i know and love. oh right, and school as well. lol
well im exhausted.
who knows how long till my next post since Lord knows im terrible at this....so bye for now. :)
xx
Thursday, February 5, 2009
snowSNOWsnow
ireland and snow don't typically go together in the same sentence
however, this last week has changed that!
we've had snow off and on since monday. cold, wet, slushy snow.
I LOVE IT!
UCD is covered in a blanket of the white stuff
snowmen litter its grounds
snow falls from the sky like salt from a shaker
campus as a snowglobe of sorts
its lovely.
its alternating between the small, crystal-like bits and the big, feathery bits.
the perfect day to sit with a cup of tea and watch the world go by...or, not go by, seeing as everyone is indoors. however, there are the few brave souls out making snowmen and the young at heart pelting passers by with snowballs, their hands red with cold.
this, perhaps, is the only thing keeping me upbeat during my 6+ days of my sleep-destroying cough.
its been terrible.
went to the health center today and got some codeine cough syrup, so all should be well here soon. thats the latest bit of information i guess
snow and a cold. cold snow. haha.
choral scholars is going well, as i end my second week in the module. we're singing some pretty hard pieces by handel and bach. some crazy low melismas for us altos! we're being tested, one per part, on monday on 'gloria patri' so that should be...tense. there are apparently some pianos in the J block of the newman building so ive got to give that a look tomorrow.
its just so good to be singing again. id been thinking of myself as having been a singer once, with the lack of any vocal outlet here in ireland and the prospect of not being in choir next year for trying to finish my degree as soon as i can (studying abroad has put me back atleast a full quarter). having this vocal release has made such a change. after having been part of SOME sort of musical group, wheter it be with violin or voice, for 10 years, it was hard not having that here.
i couldn't be more grateful that the conductor of choral scholars emailed me back and invited me to join up the module.
so thats my other news i suppose.
i hope everything is good back home. i have to admit, ive been very homesick of late. particularly because ive been feeling so under the weather lately. so im aiming to change that and enjoy being in ireland while im here.
so, love and hugs. see you in JUNE!!!! :)
xx
however, this last week has changed that!
we've had snow off and on since monday. cold, wet, slushy snow.
I LOVE IT!
UCD is covered in a blanket of the white stuff
snowmen litter its grounds
snow falls from the sky like salt from a shaker
campus as a snowglobe of sorts
its lovely.
its alternating between the small, crystal-like bits and the big, feathery bits.
the perfect day to sit with a cup of tea and watch the world go by...or, not go by, seeing as everyone is indoors. however, there are the few brave souls out making snowmen and the young at heart pelting passers by with snowballs, their hands red with cold.
this, perhaps, is the only thing keeping me upbeat during my 6+ days of my sleep-destroying cough.
its been terrible.
went to the health center today and got some codeine cough syrup, so all should be well here soon. thats the latest bit of information i guess
snow and a cold. cold snow. haha.
choral scholars is going well, as i end my second week in the module. we're singing some pretty hard pieces by handel and bach. some crazy low melismas for us altos! we're being tested, one per part, on monday on 'gloria patri' so that should be...tense. there are apparently some pianos in the J block of the newman building so ive got to give that a look tomorrow.
its just so good to be singing again. id been thinking of myself as having been a singer once, with the lack of any vocal outlet here in ireland and the prospect of not being in choir next year for trying to finish my degree as soon as i can (studying abroad has put me back atleast a full quarter). having this vocal release has made such a change. after having been part of SOME sort of musical group, wheter it be with violin or voice, for 10 years, it was hard not having that here.
i couldn't be more grateful that the conductor of choral scholars emailed me back and invited me to join up the module.
so thats my other news i suppose.
i hope everything is good back home. i have to admit, ive been very homesick of late. particularly because ive been feeling so under the weather lately. so im aiming to change that and enjoy being in ireland while im here.
so, love and hugs. see you in JUNE!!!! :)
xx
Thursday, January 29, 2009
r.a.n.d.o.m.
wow. im terrible at this whole blogging thing. ya know, since i never remember to actually write anything!
well the second week of school is coming to an end
one class left in my insanely easy schedule...tomorrow at 2 i have hispanic studies 2
quite possibly my favourite class.
which strikes me as interesting and very odd since its counterpart, hispanic studies 1, was the reason i didn't get out of bed in the morning to go to class last semester. that class was awful.
but hispanic studies TWO is fabulous. looking at drama, poetry, short stories and novels of hispanic authors. which is really my thing :)
LOVE IT.
so today i had my earliest class of the week, at 11am.
okay so here's the really frustrating part. i set my alarm for 8.30 so i could get up and have a leisurely morning and get some things done around the apartment.
well i woke up in a panic at 10.48 (yes, i remember the exact time because i was just THAT panicked.) since class started in two minutes, there was absolutely no way i was going to make that. so i went back to sleep, frustrated, but very warm in my nice cozy bed.
well, this is a random blog of sorts (i love that word), since my next topic is....
hair.
of course.
anyone who knows me even a little bit knows i have a ridiculous habit of changing my hair.
its gotten better since moving to ireland
but obviously not completely cured
last night i was VERY bored. and instead of starting my play for contemporary spanish theatre (cuz who wants to do that at 1am?) i decided to cuuuut my hair :)
it was exciting. lol.
not much shorter b/c i think i would cry if it got any shorter. (short hair is NOT my thing) but there are many layers in it. cut a bit more this afternoon.
its a bad habit. an addiction really. ive really had to reign it in since being over here, mostly because dye is so much more expensive.
but ya know.
just had a bit of an intermission in the blogging there.
talked to the madre at work
showed her my haircut via skype. haha.
id say the most exciting thing thats happened since my last blog is that ive joined up the UCD choral scholars.
its pretty intense. we're given new music each rehearsal and expected to know it after maybe two run throughs with just sight reading. its crazy. but i LOVE it!!! :)
ive missed being part of a choir so so SO much.
choral scholars has 23 people in it as of now
we're singing a big Handel piece with a buncha solos in it as well as a big Bach number. AND zadok the priest, also by Handel.
we're doing a concert in late march with the RTE concert orchestra, so thats pretty exciting... and terrifying.
but i love performing, so thats that.
except not in front of people i know, in close proximities. AKA im not so into singing at the next lacrosse party coughAMYANDPADDYcough. lol
but nice try ;)
oh and apparently we're singing at st. patricks cathedral...so thats pretty sweet.
ST. PATRICKS CATHEDRAL -------------->
other than that, things have been going well, with nothing much too exciting.
which is good
lacrosse is good
even if im not good at lacrosse
but hey, its a hobby :)
well that about sums up life as of now.
more later
LOVE AND HUGS!!! :)
well the second week of school is coming to an end
one class left in my insanely easy schedule...tomorrow at 2 i have hispanic studies 2
quite possibly my favourite class.
which strikes me as interesting and very odd since its counterpart, hispanic studies 1, was the reason i didn't get out of bed in the morning to go to class last semester. that class was awful.
but hispanic studies TWO is fabulous. looking at drama, poetry, short stories and novels of hispanic authors. which is really my thing :)
LOVE IT.
so today i had my earliest class of the week, at 11am.
okay so here's the really frustrating part. i set my alarm for 8.30 so i could get up and have a leisurely morning and get some things done around the apartment.
well i woke up in a panic at 10.48 (yes, i remember the exact time because i was just THAT panicked.) since class started in two minutes, there was absolutely no way i was going to make that. so i went back to sleep, frustrated, but very warm in my nice cozy bed.
well, this is a random blog of sorts (i love that word), since my next topic is....
hair.
of course.
anyone who knows me even a little bit knows i have a ridiculous habit of changing my hair.
its gotten better since moving to ireland
but obviously not completely cured
last night i was VERY bored. and instead of starting my play for contemporary spanish theatre (cuz who wants to do that at 1am?) i decided to cuuuut my hair :)
it was exciting. lol.
not much shorter b/c i think i would cry if it got any shorter. (short hair is NOT my thing) but there are many layers in it. cut a bit more this afternoon.
its a bad habit. an addiction really. ive really had to reign it in since being over here, mostly because dye is so much more expensive.
but ya know.
just had a bit of an intermission in the blogging there.
talked to the madre at work
showed her my haircut via skype. haha.
id say the most exciting thing thats happened since my last blog is that ive joined up the UCD choral scholars.
its pretty intense. we're given new music each rehearsal and expected to know it after maybe two run throughs with just sight reading. its crazy. but i LOVE it!!! :)
ive missed being part of a choir so so SO much.
choral scholars has 23 people in it as of now
we're singing a big Handel piece with a buncha solos in it as well as a big Bach number. AND zadok the priest, also by Handel.
we're doing a concert in late march with the RTE concert orchestra, so thats pretty exciting... and terrifying.
but i love performing, so thats that.
except not in front of people i know, in close proximities. AKA im not so into singing at the next lacrosse party coughAMYANDPADDYcough. lol
but nice try ;)
oh and apparently we're singing at st. patricks cathedral...so thats pretty sweet.
ST. PATRICKS CATHEDRAL -------------->
other than that, things have been going well, with nothing much too exciting.
which is good
lacrosse is good
even if im not good at lacrosse
but hey, its a hobby :)
well that about sums up life as of now.
more later
LOVE AND HUGS!!! :)
Friday, January 16, 2009
back to where it all began
well im back in ireland
its just after two am and i should probably be sleeping, but as fate would have it i never can sleep when i ought to
and i did end up taking a four hour nap today which probably didnt help things!
so the flight from seattle to chicago was grand
slept most the way through and had the window seat which is always a good pillow.
chicago to dublin, however, was not so good. well, the flight was fine all in all, it was the two and a half hour delay which was really annoying. to make matters worse, it wasnt a delay in the airport, but rather in the plane itself. no fun.
buuut i sat next to a cute guy so it was okay. he was kind of awkward but it was somehow endearing. lol
i finally got to dublin and kate called. the girls had been at the airport for AGES! i felt so bad
but it was fine and i got through customs w/o too much of a wait.
we came back to my apartment and hung out for a while,
then i unpacked and slept before the girls came back over to hang out after dinner
ummm...i have a lot of clothes. and shoes. my bag was 3 pounds overweight. go figure. haha.
did some decorating so that was good
heading into the city with kate and rach tomorrow to do a bit of shopping before going to kates for a movie.
im preeetty excited.
its so good to be back. but, as caroline put it, its hard living in two separate places, because youre always going to miss someone. bummer deal there. but i guess in life you cant have everything.
silverdale, bellingham, dublin...they all feel like home. well, i guess i'll just have to travel constantly to visit them all! sounds good to me :)
well i booked my ticket for amsterdam the other day. so thats exciting.
i want to go to greece
and spain
maybe portugal this semester
oh and i have the easiest schedule ever. seven hours of class a week. what a joke. makes me feel bad for rachel who has 25 hours. maybe i'll have a look for a job. i have to stay busy or i'll go crazy! haha.
its so weird this semester without all the americans from last semester. i cant just walk next door to say hi to leslie. or go see mallori two houses down. that sucks. a lot. lets just hope these new americans are fun. they have a lot to live up to! :)
well, now im just rambling so id better end this.
im sure i'll have more interesting things to write about once school begins. or maybe not. its a toss up.
but ive got to do a pic update sometime here soon. im terrible at that. obviously.
missing you all back home!!!
:)
its just after two am and i should probably be sleeping, but as fate would have it i never can sleep when i ought to
and i did end up taking a four hour nap today which probably didnt help things!
so the flight from seattle to chicago was grand
slept most the way through and had the window seat which is always a good pillow.
chicago to dublin, however, was not so good. well, the flight was fine all in all, it was the two and a half hour delay which was really annoying. to make matters worse, it wasnt a delay in the airport, but rather in the plane itself. no fun.
buuut i sat next to a cute guy so it was okay. he was kind of awkward but it was somehow endearing. lol
i finally got to dublin and kate called. the girls had been at the airport for AGES! i felt so bad
but it was fine and i got through customs w/o too much of a wait.
we came back to my apartment and hung out for a while,
then i unpacked and slept before the girls came back over to hang out after dinner
ummm...i have a lot of clothes. and shoes. my bag was 3 pounds overweight. go figure. haha.
did some decorating so that was good
heading into the city with kate and rach tomorrow to do a bit of shopping before going to kates for a movie.
im preeetty excited.
its so good to be back. but, as caroline put it, its hard living in two separate places, because youre always going to miss someone. bummer deal there. but i guess in life you cant have everything.
silverdale, bellingham, dublin...they all feel like home. well, i guess i'll just have to travel constantly to visit them all! sounds good to me :)
well i booked my ticket for amsterdam the other day. so thats exciting.
i want to go to greece
and spain
maybe portugal this semester
oh and i have the easiest schedule ever. seven hours of class a week. what a joke. makes me feel bad for rachel who has 25 hours. maybe i'll have a look for a job. i have to stay busy or i'll go crazy! haha.
its so weird this semester without all the americans from last semester. i cant just walk next door to say hi to leslie. or go see mallori two houses down. that sucks. a lot. lets just hope these new americans are fun. they have a lot to live up to! :)
well, now im just rambling so id better end this.
im sure i'll have more interesting things to write about once school begins. or maybe not. its a toss up.
but ive got to do a pic update sometime here soon. im terrible at that. obviously.
missing you all back home!!!
:)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
back in los estados unidos
well, its been ages since my last post
much has happened
today, for example, has been a comedy of errors.
but lets start at the beginning.
well, the beginning of my trip back to the U.S. of A.
landing in new york was such a joke. it was hands down the worst landing ive ever experienced. i literally thought we were going to crash. first we dropped about 30 or 50 feet or so, then coming onto the landing strip, we came in on our right wheel. ONLY our right wheel. so that was terrifying. then we sorta bouned over to the left one and balanced out. the girl next to me screamed and grabbed my arm. it was kinda funny, amidst all the scared-ness going on. yes, scared-ness.
so it was snowing in new york. that was pretty cool. cept we thought we might be delayed or cancelled. but we werent so it was alright.
okay the plane ride from new york to seattle was absolutely hellish. as my mom put it; it was the birth control flight. screaming children all up and down that plane. gag. the family behind me was completely annoying. the parents were just about as bad as the kids, who, by the way, were repeatedly pulling my hair and bouncing the back of my seat. yes, the mother was doing it too. some people should not reproduce.
well, we finally got off that terrible plane ride and were safely in seatac airport! it was so exciting. well, i was pretty much walking death since we'd been traveling for nearly 24 hours, but i was as excited as i could be. lol
after seeing new years for both dublin and new york time zones, my tired family and i made our way across puget sound to silverdale. home sweet home. i got to meet the new dog, cal, and see penney girl again. my cat finally came out of hiding and after about 30 seconds of her acting like i was the devil for leaving for four months, she decided she loved me again. lol
all was great
i was asleep by 11.30 and missed silverdale's new years.
WHICH WAS A BUMMER BECAUSE....JASON FINALLY ASKED OLY TO MARRY HIM!!! i had about a million and a half missed calls and text messages and voice mails when i woke up in the morning, all from oly telling me that i needed to call her NOW because she had to tell me before spreading the news around.
her ring is absolutely gorgeous. i couldnt be happier for those two. theyre so good for each other :)
so skip ahead. that was...wednesday night? so oly and jason and valerie (her madre) came over on...what was it; friday i think. and i was all excited to give oly her ireland present thingy. so then she said she had a gift for me. surprised enough, i read the card she gave me after saying that i could have the present if i say yes to the card. so confused. but staaarting to put the pieces together as i opened the envelope. (all who know me know im terrible, absolutely TERRIBLE at opening envelopes. i kind of just destroy them. lol) inside it said 'will you be my maid of honor?' i screamed and hugged oly. the waterworks were going and of course i said yes! she handed me a bag and inside were a beautiful necklace from oly and her mom had got me the maid of honor guidebook. looks very helpful.
im absolutely over the top excited. the wedding is in 2010, so theres a bit of planning time.
on saturday we're going to barnes and noble for starbucks and wedding mags. then at 1.30 we have an appointment in poulsbo to look at a wedding location. (ah!) then we're headed back to the dale for wedding gown shopping at benitas. YAY. then picking up sam for BRIDE WARS that night. (that movie looks amazing) im so so SO excited.
right now it all kind of feels surreal. we've been friends since preschool. we ate playdough together. (yes, i'll admit it. haha) we've been in plays together, we've grown up together. she's my second sister. its crazy to believe that she's getting married! its crazy to think that we're actually old enough to get married!!! lol. i cant wait for saturday because it will start feeling real and the planning will begin! :) :) :)
okay.
rewind.
well, its been nice to be home. havent done a whole lot and at the same time ive been crazy busy. well, ive done a lot of cooking and cleaning and errands running but thats okay. its nice to be home and everyone who knows me knows i love to cook and all that jazz. so making dinner and picking my sister up from school; thats good stuff. :)
last sunday we had thanksgiving re-dos. i was in charge of pies. they were good :)
the kunishes came over around two or so. becky stopped by early on her lunch break from the gap and visited a little. we had so much food and we STILL have leftovers!
it was so good to see annabel. i love being an auntie :) i cant believe how big she's getting.
around four or so, maybe a bit later, it started snowing. we took annabel out to catch snowflakes on her tongue and slide around on the back deck. then it REALLY started coming down so the kunishes decided to get going since their house is at the top of a hill, and they kiiinda wanted to make it up the hill! we had a pretty chill evening and watched the snow fall. all in all we had about two inches. not a whole bunch, but enough to make it pretty outside :)
well, i was supposed to go up to bellingham today. i should be on the ferry right now headed to edmonds, or on the highway heading north. BUT bellingham, well all of whatcom county really, is under flood watch. theyve closed down the exit to bellis fair mall because its under water and not safe for driving. its pretty crazy. so the parents said i shouldnt go up there. of course i was super bummed and feel bad for not being there to see my friends, but its for the best. im heading up there sunday instead. as long as i get to see wwu im good!!! :)
thats pretty much it as far as life right now.
ive done some piano playing
just finished playing violin for a while
i forgot how annoying it is to re-string a violin
and my bridge was so tilted it almost broke off
so that was a little unexpected twist to my practice time today!
mmkay bye
more soon
:)
much has happened
today, for example, has been a comedy of errors.
but lets start at the beginning.
well, the beginning of my trip back to the U.S. of A.
landing in new york was such a joke. it was hands down the worst landing ive ever experienced. i literally thought we were going to crash. first we dropped about 30 or 50 feet or so, then coming onto the landing strip, we came in on our right wheel. ONLY our right wheel. so that was terrifying. then we sorta bouned over to the left one and balanced out. the girl next to me screamed and grabbed my arm. it was kinda funny, amidst all the scared-ness going on. yes, scared-ness.
so it was snowing in new york. that was pretty cool. cept we thought we might be delayed or cancelled. but we werent so it was alright.
okay the plane ride from new york to seattle was absolutely hellish. as my mom put it; it was the birth control flight. screaming children all up and down that plane. gag. the family behind me was completely annoying. the parents were just about as bad as the kids, who, by the way, were repeatedly pulling my hair and bouncing the back of my seat. yes, the mother was doing it too. some people should not reproduce.
well, we finally got off that terrible plane ride and were safely in seatac airport! it was so exciting. well, i was pretty much walking death since we'd been traveling for nearly 24 hours, but i was as excited as i could be. lol
after seeing new years for both dublin and new york time zones, my tired family and i made our way across puget sound to silverdale. home sweet home. i got to meet the new dog, cal, and see penney girl again. my cat finally came out of hiding and after about 30 seconds of her acting like i was the devil for leaving for four months, she decided she loved me again. lol
all was great
i was asleep by 11.30 and missed silverdale's new years.
WHICH WAS A BUMMER BECAUSE....JASON FINALLY ASKED OLY TO MARRY HIM!!! i had about a million and a half missed calls and text messages and voice mails when i woke up in the morning, all from oly telling me that i needed to call her NOW because she had to tell me before spreading the news around.
her ring is absolutely gorgeous. i couldnt be happier for those two. theyre so good for each other :)
so skip ahead. that was...wednesday night? so oly and jason and valerie (her madre) came over on...what was it; friday i think. and i was all excited to give oly her ireland present thingy. so then she said she had a gift for me. surprised enough, i read the card she gave me after saying that i could have the present if i say yes to the card. so confused. but staaarting to put the pieces together as i opened the envelope. (all who know me know im terrible, absolutely TERRIBLE at opening envelopes. i kind of just destroy them. lol) inside it said 'will you be my maid of honor?' i screamed and hugged oly. the waterworks were going and of course i said yes! she handed me a bag and inside were a beautiful necklace from oly and her mom had got me the maid of honor guidebook. looks very helpful.
im absolutely over the top excited. the wedding is in 2010, so theres a bit of planning time.
on saturday we're going to barnes and noble for starbucks and wedding mags. then at 1.30 we have an appointment in poulsbo to look at a wedding location. (ah!) then we're headed back to the dale for wedding gown shopping at benitas. YAY. then picking up sam for BRIDE WARS that night. (that movie looks amazing) im so so SO excited.
right now it all kind of feels surreal. we've been friends since preschool. we ate playdough together. (yes, i'll admit it. haha) we've been in plays together, we've grown up together. she's my second sister. its crazy to believe that she's getting married! its crazy to think that we're actually old enough to get married!!! lol. i cant wait for saturday because it will start feeling real and the planning will begin! :) :) :)
okay.
rewind.
well, its been nice to be home. havent done a whole lot and at the same time ive been crazy busy. well, ive done a lot of cooking and cleaning and errands running but thats okay. its nice to be home and everyone who knows me knows i love to cook and all that jazz. so making dinner and picking my sister up from school; thats good stuff. :)
last sunday we had thanksgiving re-dos. i was in charge of pies. they were good :)
the kunishes came over around two or so. becky stopped by early on her lunch break from the gap and visited a little. we had so much food and we STILL have leftovers!
it was so good to see annabel. i love being an auntie :) i cant believe how big she's getting.
around four or so, maybe a bit later, it started snowing. we took annabel out to catch snowflakes on her tongue and slide around on the back deck. then it REALLY started coming down so the kunishes decided to get going since their house is at the top of a hill, and they kiiinda wanted to make it up the hill! we had a pretty chill evening and watched the snow fall. all in all we had about two inches. not a whole bunch, but enough to make it pretty outside :)
well, i was supposed to go up to bellingham today. i should be on the ferry right now headed to edmonds, or on the highway heading north. BUT bellingham, well all of whatcom county really, is under flood watch. theyve closed down the exit to bellis fair mall because its under water and not safe for driving. its pretty crazy. so the parents said i shouldnt go up there. of course i was super bummed and feel bad for not being there to see my friends, but its for the best. im heading up there sunday instead. as long as i get to see wwu im good!!! :)
thats pretty much it as far as life right now.
ive done some piano playing
just finished playing violin for a while
i forgot how annoying it is to re-string a violin
and my bridge was so tilted it almost broke off
so that was a little unexpected twist to my practice time today!
mmkay bye
more soon
:)
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