Ireland 2008 Trip in a Nutshell

I don't think I have ever written about our Ireland adventure from 2008 and I think now would be a fabulous time to do so!

Chris and I went to Ireland and some parts of England and Wales in 2008 for almost 8 weeks, just for fun. We were craving adventure and Chris was in the process of selling his company so we could afford it and had the time. On our way home from being with his family for Easter, we thought of where we might want to go and by the time we got home, we purchased two one ways tickets to Dublin, Ireland (crazy, right! Who would resist IRELAND!). We then informed our family and friends we would be gone for the summer, not knowing exactly when we would return. In a short month and a half, we were off!

First, we went the complete opposite direction to visit Chris's grandparents in Arizona. We had not seen them in a long time and it just seemed right to do so. 

We left the hot Arizona dessert and stopped for a few short hours in Chicago for a layover. I remember saying at one point "I can't believe we are doing this!" and thinking I have only been to London and that was just to meet up with Chris for a weekend.

We have arrived in Dublin! 

  

After realizing both of our luggage had been lost somewhere between Arizona and Chicago, we headed to the car rental center and after what seemed like an eternity (the flight was a restless overnight flight), we got in the car (with no luggage) and started our brave adventure of navigating through Dublin to find our B&B - side note, I am SOOOO thankful for Garmin because we might not have survived (marriage and all) finding the B&B on our own! Where we stayed was really cute and made our trip feel like it was going to be a good one and not the chaos that we were only having up to that point. 

 B&B in Dublin

We had to visit the Guinness factory, of course!  

While in Dublin we: Purchased some new underwear (until we got out luggage), saw the Hight Kings in concerts, went to the Guinness factory and just walked around exploring - we were only passing through. 

Next stop Connemara! 

My brother-in-law's uncle owns a cottage on the west coast of Ireland about 45 minutes north of Galway. We rented the cottage for 2 weeks not really knowing anything about the area. It was a quaint cottage and it was really beautiful. There was lots of hiking to do but that was pretty much it. We did go to this cafe several times where the chef was trained in Paris and the food was amazing! We also take a fairy to Inishbofin Island and that was a lot of fun riding bikes!

From Connemara down to Galway, where we stayed a night in a room over a taco joint and one night in a hostel to a couple days in Ennis, a week in Kenmare, a night in Cork, went to the Waterford Crystal factory on our way to Kildare, stayed the night in Kildare (for our 5 year anniversary), then back to Dublin to take an overnight fairy to Liverpool. 

Inishbofin Island

The rest of our time in Ireland (or a small part of it)

Liverpool!

I just have to say, this city is a lot more interesting than people had told me! It has become a very artsy place and there are actually some beautiful places to see and go in this industrial city where they used to import/export (or maybe they still do) banana's and sheep. We pretty much just passed through, staying one night on our way to Wales and one night on our way back to Dublin.

                                                                     Lamb-banana

So this was our Ireland adventure in a nutshell...We also went to Wales, Bath, London and Oxford for a bit. That is another story all in itself. 

-H

Drop Your Junk and go to the Gym!

I have recently joined a gym - this was mainly my sisters doing and me giving into pressure. It is a health center for one of our local hospitals that does a lot of physical therapy. Generally, I am not a huge fan of gyms, but this one has actually made me happy to join. Not only are my sister and I some of the youngest people there (most people I see are above the age of 55) but there is this lady who is always there cleaning - I have notice lately she has been wearing the same sweater and that concerns me... Anyways, when you join, you get 2 free sessions with an instructor to figure out how physically fit you are and then what machines/weights you need to use to get the results you want. I have been going to the gym now for 3 months and I am just now getting to it. I need ALL the help I can get with my stomach and love handles!

Good news, I can do 25 push ups no problem :)

Running has been my main thing,well, only since last year. It was so much fun at first but four 5k's later, I have actually started to enjoy it and hope to sign up for a 9k this year. 

I just realized I am writing about the gym and being physically fit while drinking a soda (see, I can't stay away from them even when I write about it!). This is my down fall. Bad food. I do love healthy food and I don't have a problem eating it! I just have a problem with loving bad food too!!! If only I could  do a better job convincing myself that it is not good for me...

This is sort of my conversation with myself when I eat bad food in picture form:

While eating this...

I am going to be able to look good in something like this come summer time?

j.crew

Or will I have to stick with something like this? (yes, this model is pregnant)

Maybe if I do several push ups and crunches tonight I could look like this by the end of the week:

NOT POSSIBLE!

Two things I tell myself after this conversation:

Stop drowning myself in sugar!!!

Go eat a carrot!

Okay, well I don't envision myself as Miley Cyrus eating a carrot...

Remember, eating a lot of low-fat pies is a good way to get high-fat thighs.

-H

Can't Resist This Spring Weather!

So here are some things I can't resist in the spring time!

Strawberry cake (or strawberry shortcake)

Pioneer Woman

Fun Nail Polish!

DRESSES!!!

jcrew 

 Cute Shoes

SHOPBOP

Running :) 

These are just a few things :) I think spring is slowly becoming my favorite time of the year. By the time April comes, I am tired of heavy coats, sweaty feet, dry skin, frizzy hair, cold afternoons. Bring on the 70's!

-H