With my final "Spring Break" being next week and the weather (which, despite rumored forecasts of a blizzard for today, is markedly feeling like springtime - with the sun shining and snow melting), I am suddenly feeling very ready for spring and getting back into the outdoors.
While I finally managed to appreciate the winter by learning to ski, I am now in the mindset for spring to begin. I've started breaking out my dresses and skirts without the fear of my legs going numb from the windchill. Today I went shopping for more bike shorts and have been doing research to purchase a road bike online. I'm starting to think about what endurance events I might train for and participate in. And I'm definitely looking forward to bonfires and pool parties.
Steve, the boys, and I have also started more seriously talking about what breed of dog we'd like to get in the next couple months. Mostly we're looking at Poodle-mixes because of their low-shedding coat and temperament.
I will admit that I'm a bit disappointed right now though that I don't actually have any travel plans for Spring Break. For the past couple years I've been fortunate enough to join my mom on some amazing trips to Italy and Australia during Break. I realize that I just spent 4 months abroad in Ireland, but I guess I have the "travel bug" like my mother.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Just can't escape the snow storms
My law school has a "Winter Break" and so I didn't have any classes last Friday or yesterday. Steve and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend by flying out to Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday night and visiting his parents in Sun City West.
Our days were filled with activities like visiting estate sales, going to the 2011 Arizona Wheels of Italy, driving around the streets in a golf cart, consuming yummy food and drinks, playing the slug-bug game, and a lot of hiking (White Tank and McDowell Sonoran Preserve).
Steve was the camera master, so unfortunately I don't have any photos to post yet. But there were some amazing views from the hiking trails.
We originally planned on going up to the Grand Canyon on Sunday, but turns out Minnesota wasn't the only state having a snow storm. We got to around Sedona and the highway troopers closed the roads. The drivers out there really did not know how to deal with snow on the road and there were a couple times when I worried we were going to be hit by some out-of-control car. Finally we decided to just turn around and save the Grand Canyon experience for another trip.
On Monday evening we flew back and arrived home at about 12:30 a.m. It was a great surprise to discover that one of our neighbors had snow plowed the driveway! Though we had to deal with the Arizona snow storm, it was clearly nothing compared to what had happened back home.
Our days were filled with activities like visiting estate sales, going to the 2011 Arizona Wheels of Italy, driving around the streets in a golf cart, consuming yummy food and drinks, playing the slug-bug game, and a lot of hiking (White Tank and McDowell Sonoran Preserve).
Steve was the camera master, so unfortunately I don't have any photos to post yet. But there were some amazing views from the hiking trails.
We originally planned on going up to the Grand Canyon on Sunday, but turns out Minnesota wasn't the only state having a snow storm. We got to around Sedona and the highway troopers closed the roads. The drivers out there really did not know how to deal with snow on the road and there were a couple times when I worried we were going to be hit by some out-of-control car. Finally we decided to just turn around and save the Grand Canyon experience for another trip.
On Monday evening we flew back and arrived home at about 12:30 a.m. It was a great surprise to discover that one of our neighbors had snow plowed the driveway! Though we had to deal with the Arizona snow storm, it was clearly nothing compared to what had happened back home.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Pizza and Fries in skiing?
Last weekend I went skiing with Steve and the boys. Just to give some perspective, I've skied probably a total of three or four times in my life - two of these instances were in middle school and the last time was about three years ago. So to say the least, I was a bit nervous about my ability to stay upright and return home without any broken bones. However, I am happy to report that it all went really well and was a great trip!
Both Saturday and Sunday we went skiing in the morning for a couple hours, took a lunch break, and then skied a couple more hours in the afternoon. I'll fully admit that the boys and I spent the entire time on the same hill, which had various green and blue runs. It was nice though because I was able to spend time developing my stopping skills and moved past the "pizza"/snow plow technique to the "fries"/parallel turn style.
Hopefully we'll get to go again before the skiing season ends!
Both Saturday and Sunday we went skiing in the morning for a couple hours, took a lunch break, and then skied a couple more hours in the afternoon. I'll fully admit that the boys and I spent the entire time on the same hill, which had various green and blue runs. It was nice though because I was able to spend time developing my stopping skills and moved past the "pizza"/snow plow technique to the "fries"/parallel turn style.
Hopefully we'll get to go again before the skiing season ends!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Christmas miracle!
I am officially back home and law school classes have started up again. The holidays went really well and I've been fortunate enough to see most of the people I had been missing during my time abroad.
Getting back to the U.S. from Ireland was quite a feat, due to all the bad weather in Europe. I really believe it was a Christmas miracle that I actually made it back in time to spend the holidays with my family and friends.
On Tuesday, December 21st I was scheduled on the 1:00 p.m. flight from Dublin to Chicago, where I would then get a connecting flight home. I had made it all the way through security, customs, and immigration and was waiting at the terminal gate. Just as we were getting ready to board the airplane, they said the flight was being delayed because it had started snowing faster than they could clear the runways, etc.
After several hours of being "delayed", we suddenly heard announcements over the speakers that passengers on canceled flights should leave the airport and re-book their flights online. It was only then that we saw on the departures board that they decided to cancel our flight.
On my way to reclaiming my luggage, I called Steve and asked for his help in getting my flight re-booked. At the same time, a couple suggested to me that I go and try talking to an agent in person, even though they were telling us we should leave. As I waited in line, Steve called to tell me that the earliest flights he could get me out on (without having to pay at least $2000) was on Sunday, December 26th -- meaning I would be spending Christmas alone in Ireland. I decided to wait in the line anyways to talk with an agent in person and see if there was any other possible solution.
I finally saw an agent after 4 hours in line and there was essentially nothing else they could do for me. He even said I was lucky at that point to be on the Sunday flight because other people were already getting pushed to flights that didn't leave until January 1st! He did say that I could try coming to get on standby though - but that if I took any flight to the U.S. other than the one to Chicago, I would be responsible for getting my own connecting ticket home.
I waited another hour in the line where they were giving out rooms at nearby hotels. When I spoke to that agent, she saw how upset I was by the idea that I wouldn't get home until after Christmas. She suggested that I come back to the airport at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and beg/plead/cry/etc. to try and get on standby.
The silver lining of the ordeal was that they put me up in a really swank hotel and even gave us free dinner and breakfast. I missed the free breakfast, however, because I had a taxi pick me up at 5:15 a.m. to head back to the airport.
The woman who put me down on the standby list said I had a good chance of getting on the flight to Chicago because of all the other passengers who wouldn't make their connecting flights in from many other parts of Europe. However, I later found out I was number 26 on the list!
Trying to make a long story shorter, with only thirty minutes before the plane was scheduled to take-off for Chicago, my name finally got called off the stand-by list. I was so excited that I literally ran through the airport to make sure I didn't get left behind.
When I arrived in Chicago there were a number of other problems that cropped up and almost forced me to spend the night there, but ultimately I arrived home that night around 9:30 p.m. It was a good thing I got out of Dublin when I did too, because the airport was closed again the next day due to weather.
Getting back to the U.S. from Ireland was quite a feat, due to all the bad weather in Europe. I really believe it was a Christmas miracle that I actually made it back in time to spend the holidays with my family and friends.
On Tuesday, December 21st I was scheduled on the 1:00 p.m. flight from Dublin to Chicago, where I would then get a connecting flight home. I had made it all the way through security, customs, and immigration and was waiting at the terminal gate. Just as we were getting ready to board the airplane, they said the flight was being delayed because it had started snowing faster than they could clear the runways, etc.
After several hours of being "delayed", we suddenly heard announcements over the speakers that passengers on canceled flights should leave the airport and re-book their flights online. It was only then that we saw on the departures board that they decided to cancel our flight.
On my way to reclaiming my luggage, I called Steve and asked for his help in getting my flight re-booked. At the same time, a couple suggested to me that I go and try talking to an agent in person, even though they were telling us we should leave. As I waited in line, Steve called to tell me that the earliest flights he could get me out on (without having to pay at least $2000) was on Sunday, December 26th -- meaning I would be spending Christmas alone in Ireland. I decided to wait in the line anyways to talk with an agent in person and see if there was any other possible solution.
I finally saw an agent after 4 hours in line and there was essentially nothing else they could do for me. He even said I was lucky at that point to be on the Sunday flight because other people were already getting pushed to flights that didn't leave until January 1st! He did say that I could try coming to get on standby though - but that if I took any flight to the U.S. other than the one to Chicago, I would be responsible for getting my own connecting ticket home.
I waited another hour in the line where they were giving out rooms at nearby hotels. When I spoke to that agent, she saw how upset I was by the idea that I wouldn't get home until after Christmas. She suggested that I come back to the airport at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and beg/plead/cry/etc. to try and get on standby.
The silver lining of the ordeal was that they put me up in a really swank hotel and even gave us free dinner and breakfast. I missed the free breakfast, however, because I had a taxi pick me up at 5:15 a.m. to head back to the airport.
The woman who put me down on the standby list said I had a good chance of getting on the flight to Chicago because of all the other passengers who wouldn't make their connecting flights in from many other parts of Europe. However, I later found out I was number 26 on the list!
Trying to make a long story shorter, with only thirty minutes before the plane was scheduled to take-off for Chicago, my name finally got called off the stand-by list. I was so excited that I literally ran through the airport to make sure I didn't get left behind.
When I arrived in Chicago there were a number of other problems that cropped up and almost forced me to spend the night there, but ultimately I arrived home that night around 9:30 p.m. It was a good thing I got out of Dublin when I did too, because the airport was closed again the next day due to weather.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Twelve pubs of Christmas...
This officially marks the end of my last weekend in Dublin. Colleen, Adi and I have been all studying for our exams. I have two, both of which are tomorrow. First is Media Regulations at noon and then Employment Law at 6 pm. Why they force us to take exams that don't even start until 6 pm (ending at 8 pm) I don't understand. But after a semester here, I've decided that it's probably unreasonable trying to understand because they don't make decisions based on logic.
Anyways - Friday was pretty quiet. Ha - the sad thing was that going to get dinner was probably the highlight for that day. Luckily Saturday was much better. Saturday afternoon Colleen, Adi and I went to Cafe Java in Blackrock to have a study group session on Media Law. Overall it went pretty well until Adi ended up in a fit of giggles and we realized we had clearly "hit the wall" for the evening. So we went back to the dorms and made plans to go see Trad (Traditional) Irish music.
Little did we know, City Centre was completely overtaken by Christmas party-goers. People dressed in tinsel and Santa hats packed every street and sidewalk. The bar we had originally planned on going to was so packed that by 9:30 pm they were saying that no one else would be getting in for the night. We realized it was unrealistic to limit ourselves to Trad music pubs, so we set out to find a pub in general. That's when I remembered The Bar with No Name. I was hoping that since it 1) has no name and 2) is up off the street and, in general, is kind of hard to find - that we'd have enough luck to at least get in. And we had success!
Basically this bar is like a house party but with bartenders. For the Minneapolis people - it may be comparable to the Kitty Cat Klub. It was still really packed but we managed to find a small area to stand. I don't know how it started, but we apparently felt like we needed to guard/protect our space - which resulted in Adi and I acting a bit tougher than we really are and Colleen got some really fantastic photos.
On Sunday morning Colleen and Adi were moving out of the dorms to spend the last few nights at a hotel in City Centre. But since they had 5 pieces of luggage, 2 backpacks, and 2 Ikea bags full of stuff to donate, I ended up going with to help out. After dropping the stuff off we went to the Dublin Christmas Market. Adi and I both had bratwursts, Colleen had a crepe, and we all got to sample what was probably the best brownie in the world.
After going through the market and getting to see some kids put on a dance show, we went to a coffee shop in the nearby mall for some tea/hot cocoa. Then Adi and Colleen went back to their hotel and I set out on a mission of shopping. After getting the things I had wanted, it was back to the dorms to pack. Yes, I am basically packed up and ready to go - which feels really weird.
I've had an amazing time here in Dublin and I really am going to miss parts of it. But at the same time, I am ready to get home. It will be nice not having to wear flip-flops to shower or worry about how much of my food was stolen from the fridge overnight. I'm also excited to have my car back - though I will have to re-orient myself to driving on the right side of the road (which seems wrong now every time I try to picture it). Then of course there are the people that I have been missing and am anxious to see. So yes, I'm ready.
Once I get back, I'm sure life will be busy. There are the holidays, concerts, and tons of other things. But I will try hard to blog about the things that I did this Fall but didn't manage to write about yet. And at some point I will manage to organize the 1500+ photos that I took and share them with people.
So Merry Christmas* and hope you all have a great New Year!
*Side note: over here it seems to be "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas", and I really can't figure out why. I know they mean the same thing, but it just feels wrong to say it that way.
Anyways - Friday was pretty quiet. Ha - the sad thing was that going to get dinner was probably the highlight for that day. Luckily Saturday was much better. Saturday afternoon Colleen, Adi and I went to Cafe Java in Blackrock to have a study group session on Media Law. Overall it went pretty well until Adi ended up in a fit of giggles and we realized we had clearly "hit the wall" for the evening. So we went back to the dorms and made plans to go see Trad (Traditional) Irish music.
Little did we know, City Centre was completely overtaken by Christmas party-goers. People dressed in tinsel and Santa hats packed every street and sidewalk. The bar we had originally planned on going to was so packed that by 9:30 pm they were saying that no one else would be getting in for the night. We realized it was unrealistic to limit ourselves to Trad music pubs, so we set out to find a pub in general. That's when I remembered The Bar with No Name. I was hoping that since it 1) has no name and 2) is up off the street and, in general, is kind of hard to find - that we'd have enough luck to at least get in. And we had success!
Basically this bar is like a house party but with bartenders. For the Minneapolis people - it may be comparable to the Kitty Cat Klub. It was still really packed but we managed to find a small area to stand. I don't know how it started, but we apparently felt like we needed to guard/protect our space - which resulted in Adi and I acting a bit tougher than we really are and Colleen got some really fantastic photos.
On Sunday morning Colleen and Adi were moving out of the dorms to spend the last few nights at a hotel in City Centre. But since they had 5 pieces of luggage, 2 backpacks, and 2 Ikea bags full of stuff to donate, I ended up going with to help out. After dropping the stuff off we went to the Dublin Christmas Market. Adi and I both had bratwursts, Colleen had a crepe, and we all got to sample what was probably the best brownie in the world.
After going through the market and getting to see some kids put on a dance show, we went to a coffee shop in the nearby mall for some tea/hot cocoa. Then Adi and Colleen went back to their hotel and I set out on a mission of shopping. After getting the things I had wanted, it was back to the dorms to pack. Yes, I am basically packed up and ready to go - which feels really weird.
I've had an amazing time here in Dublin and I really am going to miss parts of it. But at the same time, I am ready to get home. It will be nice not having to wear flip-flops to shower or worry about how much of my food was stolen from the fridge overnight. I'm also excited to have my car back - though I will have to re-orient myself to driving on the right side of the road (which seems wrong now every time I try to picture it). Then of course there are the people that I have been missing and am anxious to see. So yes, I'm ready.
Once I get back, I'm sure life will be busy. There are the holidays, concerts, and tons of other things. But I will try hard to blog about the things that I did this Fall but didn't manage to write about yet. And at some point I will manage to organize the 1500+ photos that I took and share them with people.
So Merry Christmas* and hope you all have a great New Year!
*Side note: over here it seems to be "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas", and I really can't figure out why. I know they mean the same thing, but it just feels wrong to say it that way.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
London: Day 1 - We've arrived!
We said our goodbyes to Kelsey and Dan, since they flew home to Minnesota. The rest of us arrived in London, crammed ourselves and the luggage into a taxi, and went to the Hilton London Euston Hotel. It was a gorgeous hotel and our rooms even had little balconies. My mom, Rita and I were sharing a room, so they brought in a cot into the room for me to sleep on. The weird thing was that it had a belt...like I'd need to be strapped in so as not to roll out of the bed.
After unpacking and having some lunch, mom, Rita and I decided to go take the "Ghosts by Gaslight" walking tour around the area of Trafalgar Square. Our tour guide was fun, though he sure kept a quick pace! There were times when we were literally jogging to catch up to him. But he seemed to really know all the nooks and crannies of the area. We saw:
Once the tour was done we hopped the London Underground (mind the gap) back to the hotel area to meet Gram & Gramps for dinner.
We ate at a place called Prezzo, which was just a couple doors down from the hotel. It was really great Italian food and I had the "Bianca" pizza: goat's cheese, asparagus spears, semi-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and tomato. Definitely something I'd love to try making back home with Steve. After that it was time to go back to the hotel, climb into my cot and get strapped in for the night ha.
After unpacking and having some lunch, mom, Rita and I decided to go take the "Ghosts by Gaslight" walking tour around the area of Trafalgar Square. Our tour guide was fun, though he sure kept a quick pace! There were times when we were literally jogging to catch up to him. But he seemed to really know all the nooks and crannies of the area. We saw:
the Benjamin Franklin House
the recently re-opened Savoy (and yes, that's a Bentley parked in front)
Somerset House
The George bar
Temple Church
and Royal Courts of Justice
the recently re-opened Savoy (and yes, that's a Bentley parked in front)
Somerset House
The George bar
Temple Church
and Royal Courts of Justice
Once the tour was done we hopped the London Underground (mind the gap) back to the hotel area to meet Gram & Gramps for dinner.
We ate at a place called Prezzo, which was just a couple doors down from the hotel. It was really great Italian food and I had the "Bianca" pizza: goat's cheese, asparagus spears, semi-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and tomato. Definitely something I'd love to try making back home with Steve. After that it was time to go back to the hotel, climb into my cot and get strapped in for the night ha.
Family Visit - Dublin
After driving around Ireland for a couple days, my family spent a few nights in Dublin. And they were right in the thick of it too - Temple Bar. The second night they were in Dublin I met them for dinner at O'Neill's. We all had a few pints, some tasty food (I had the Beef & Guinness Stew), and then enjoyed some live music. It was fun because I actually know enough Irish songs now to make requests, like Whiskey in the Jar.
For the last day in Dublin we all got tickets for the Hop On - Hop Off bus. I decided that I really wanted to see Kilmainham Gaol, especially since it's not something I can see straight off the DART. My grandparents, Kelsey, and Dan also joined me on the tour. It was really interesting and we had a great tour guide, but I still think the Alcatraz tour might be better. The bus then took us through Phoenix Park, which I hadn't seen yet. It's one of the "largest enclosed recreational spaces within any European capital city" and also has the Dublin Zoo. There wasn't really much else worth noting. The next day I met my family at the airport and headed off to London!
For the last day in Dublin we all got tickets for the Hop On - Hop Off bus. I decided that I really wanted to see Kilmainham Gaol, especially since it's not something I can see straight off the DART. My grandparents, Kelsey, and Dan also joined me on the tour. It was really interesting and we had a great tour guide, but I still think the Alcatraz tour might be better. The bus then took us through Phoenix Park, which I hadn't seen yet. It's one of the "largest enclosed recreational spaces within any European capital city" and also has the Dublin Zoo. There wasn't really much else worth noting. The next day I met my family at the airport and headed off to London!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)