Back in the swing of things.

Sorry it's been a while since you've all heard from me. We're starting to get back into our old routine and I'm losing track of the days. I won't bore you with all the mundane stuff, but it's nice to be back on a schedule, at least for now and at least for the baby. I have started looking for jobs and working on my resume (or CV as they call it over here) so non-Americans will understand some of the places I have worked at. I have also been getting more accepted by the moms at the toddler group so that's been really nice. However the programs end next week so I'm not sure what we're going to do during the summer for entertainment.

Some things have happened in the last week. We had two "potty incidences." Again I won't go into them since many of you don't have kids and would prefer for me not to talk about this, so if you want to know, email me. O is also talking a lot more. And when I say a lot, I mean 3 word sentences and new words everyday. Oh, and non-stop. For example, we're now getting, "Daddy up please" which is nice. She also knows what to say if she has a dirty/smelly nappie. I have now become one of those parents that gets excited when people start talking about potty training. I tried telling a cousin how proud we were of the incident, but it only made me sound crazy.

We also were able to go to Dorman's Saturday as well. If you remember Dorman's is in Magherafelt and is a club with a young crowd. It has it's redeeming qualities though. There is a lot more space than most bars and plenty of seating if you get there soon enough. We went with a cousin, G and his girlfriend and ended up meeting some other people there we knew. We all had a good time. In fact I had such a good time I said, "I'm NEVER doing that again" the next morning. At least the last time that happened was two years ago.

Other than that, it's been very quiet here. I wish I could say that the weather has been great, but not really. The last few days were ok (no rain) but not the Maine warmth and definitely not as much sun. I hope it gets better soon or I"m going to go crazy.  I don't have new pictures of Miss O, but we went for a walk today and I took some close ups of some of the wild flower around here as well as some of the flowers on the lane up to the Greats. I'm hoping to get a better camera soon, so that my pictures come out a little bit better. But it was my first try at flower photography. Hope you all enjoy them.



The pigtails are new. We're growing her hair out and if it's not up, it's in her face. That is also her saying "Cheese"



oíche mhaith

Singing at the parish and listening to some Trad.

I had what I would call the most (stereotypical) Irish weekend possible. I sang in a parish concert Saturday and then a traditional Irish music concert on Sunday night. It was one of those experiences that makes me say, "I wish my friends were here, they would loving this!"

 On Saturday night I sang in a parish concert. I didn't volunteer as much as got tricked into singing with two of R's cousins and my MIL. A parish concert is a fundraiser for the church with talent from their members. It was held in the Keenaght GAC Hall (very similar to our Grange halls). I thought that there wouldn't be alot of people at this since it was a Saturday night and a church thing. How wrong I was. I think the whole parish was there. There were about 14 acts, each doing 2 songs/acts. We were the last act before the intermission. Cousin E sang a solo and then we joined her and sang "The Rose" by Bette Midler. We had practiced during the week, but not very much. I think we did okay, or so everyone tells us. The backing track was too loud so the melody got drowned out. I was singing the harmony and that was on the track so I don't think anyone heard me or they thought I was the one singing too loud. I had to leave at intermission cause our friends were still at the house. I would have loved to have stayed for the whole thing because each act was so "country" Irish. I saw a young lad do traditional Irish dancing, a harp player/singer, the priest and some men sing traditional songs, and even 3 young girls doing their best GLEE act.
The funniest part of the whole night was the looks I was getting from all the women at the hall. They were almost looks of disgust. In fact I had to ask my MIL a few times if I looked okay based on how they were staring at me. Almost like, "Oh my gosh, how could she leave the house wearing something like that." However both cousin E and my MIL both said that it was because everyone knew who everyone else was except for me. They've never seen me before and didn't know who I was. After knowing that, it made me feel a little more special. Almost looking forward to the next one. I was even told by the choir director that I didn't have to be Catholic to be in the choir. I might just join to get back into music and to meet more people.

This is from the back of the parish hall. By the time we sang each table was full, as was each chair. There is also a bar in the corner. That was full as well. It seemed like a place to meet a good single, Irishman.



This is us on the stage. It was very scary.



Sunday night we went to Hayden's in Pomeroy. You can't find the bar on the map and when you're on your way to the bar you think you've gotten lost about 3 times. I've told you all about this bar before. This time we went and saw Beoga as promised. It was much nicer to be able to hear them than last week, even though the only people we knew there were ourselves and the band. There were a fair bit of people there, but not as crowded as last time either. Some of the songs I've heard before on their previous albums and I really like their new stuff. In fact, based on what I heard last night their newest album would be my favorite. They've really matured as a band and their songwriting is amazing.  Again sandwiches were passed around during intermission and at the end of the night, they had one of the brothers that runs the bar come and play as well as a friend of their.

The band introducing their next song.

At the end with the two guest joining in for a few sets.

I had a video to share, but it didn't upload correctly. But if you want to hear some of their new album you can go to http://www.beogamusic.com/

This weekend was great. We had good weather most of the week up until Sunday. R even got burnt and I got a slight tan. We also had friends from Belfast come visit us and we had the house to ourselves as the in-laws were away celebrating their wedding anniversary. I hope the week is as good as the weekend.

oíche mhaith

Beoga at the Red Room

I'm going to start this blog off by saying this probably isn't my best piece of work. My brain is all over the place today. I think it has something to do with too much sun. I apologize now for using the same descriptive word a few times. I promise I'll be better next time : )
Sunday after the wedding was a great day. We got to sleep in, laze about the house and then in the evening, my husband and I went to see Beoga.


Photo taken from their official website.

 I've told you about this band before. Uncle L is in the band and a lot of the cousins and family came out to see him. They are a traditional Irish band, but with a twist. They're so much fun to listen to and their concerts are even better. If you want to know more about them or order their new CD, "How to tune a fish" go to www.beogamusic.com

The venue was The Red Room at Bryson's in Magherafelt. I expected the place to be good size for a concert, but the room was just a bar with a small dance area on the third floor. It would have been good for a one man band playing in the background, but not for a 5 piece band. It was also very crowded since a few of the members of Beoga are from this area.  Because it was so crowed we had a hard time hearing what they were saying and even some of their new songs. I wish I could give you a critic's view on their music, but I'm just being introduced to this genre of music. I can tell you though, that their music is lively, hence the name of the band, and Niamh Dunne's voice is so beautiful. The dueling accordions makes for some upbeat tempos. Hopefully, R and I will make another concert Sunday at Hayden's to see them. Hayden's is small, but not as much as a hang out location but as a musical venue. I'll be able to give a better description of their new album next time.

We did have a great time. I met a few more distance relatives of my husband that were really nice. It was also great to see his cousins again.  After the concert we headed back to L's house with a few of the cousins and ended up watching music video's until 4:30 in the morning. It was so much fun being around people my age again. Even though it's only been about 2 weeks since we left Maine I am missing my friends. The older cousins used to all hang out together when they were younger, but everyone has moved around and my husband has been away for almost 10 years. Hopefully we'll be able to hang out with them more.

I took pictures of the concert with my phone and they didn't come out very good. Hopefully I'll get better pictures this weekend. Hope you all had a safe holiday weekend. We've been enjoying lovely weather here and it should be nice for the next few days. My in-laws are also gone for the weekend to celebrate their wedding anniversary so we have the whole house to ourselves which is even better. We're expecting some friends to come over on Friday/Saturday.



The sparkly wallpaper on the way to the bathroom



The band in the front of the room.

The front of the room was made up of all glass and next to Niamh was the staircase up to the room as well.

A picture of just how crowded the room was. I still had lots of people behind me.

oíche mhaith

Cousin's Wedding

Yesterday was a long, but great day. Prep for the wedding started Friday with my friend C, treating me to an eyebrow wax and tint and fake lashes. Then Saturday morning I got up around 7:30 and started make up and at 9, cousin AB came down and curled my hair. It took over an hour to curl it all. Then we left for the ceremony at 11. The church was two hours away in Kingscourt, Ireland.

I should introduce who was getting married. One of my husband's cousin, A, was marrying an English man, N. They had met in university in England. They've been dating for at least 4 years. She is one of three girls of my mother-in-laws brother. To continue, the car ride down was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that as we got closer to the wedding the roads got really small and curvy. I got a little car sick to say the least. We got to the church just before the bride and took our seats. The ceremony was a Catholic one, so it was about an hour, but the priest was very friendly and nice. O did very good. She walked around in the corner with her little heels so she made clicking noises through most of the ceremony. Her cousin's A and R were also there so she had someone to play with. The bride was gorgeous as well as the bridal party and the church. After the ceremony everyone got to congratulate the newly married couple, then it was an hour to the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell Ireland for the reception.

The hotel was lovely. We had wanted to stay there at night, but it was a little pricey so we all planned on coming home after the reception. We were greeted to a tea and cake snacks while the photos were taken. Then it was some family photos and dinner. The food was amazing. We had salad, soup, steak, and a wonderful dessert, followed by tea and coffee. Again O did really well snacking on some chips. We were at the same table as two of R's aunt and another lovely couple and the wee cousin's A and R.

After dinner they did the speeches, which took about an hour for all of them. Then we went outside to light flying lanterns into the sky. That was pretty funny, but some of them weren't taking off properly so we that tree and the hotel were going to be set on first. These things would be very illegal back in the States, but it's so wet here so they wouldn't start a forest fire when they landed.  The joke was that in the papers today we were going to see a destruction of a small village just a few miles away. The lanterns were followed by a band and a DJ. That's when the party really started. The older relatives said their goodbyes and everyone got their drink and dance on. My daughter is a party animal. She was one of the first on the dance floor and didn't leave until she literally passed out in her jammies dancing. She was so cute, everyone was taking pictures of her and dancing with her.

She fell asleep in a pack n'play in the corner of the room and we finally took off around 2 in the morning. With the drive home we didn't in until almost 4. So needless today, it hasn't been a very productive day.  I wish I could tell you more about it, but than it would be a very very long blog. Below are some pictures of the wedding. I took pictures of just some of the hats and fascinators for all of you. Tonight we've got Beoga's concert at Bryson's in Magherafelt which will be loads of fun, cause a lot of the cousins are coming too!

Princess O and her daddy headed into the church

The bridal party signing the papers

The front of the church



O and her cousin A all dress up.



Most, if not all of the guests.

The two of us glammed up.

I loved this hat!



Aunt M's fascinator



This lovely girl let me take a picture of her fascinator.

Another Aunt M and her fascinator

The bride and groom with all of her side of the family. Let's say my husband has alot of aunts, uncles and cousins. In fact we're missing 9 cousins.

The wedding cake. I loved the marzipan. The African theme came from where they got engage. N had taken A down to Africa to propose to her. The table names were also names of animals from Africa.



The flying lanterns



Uncle A's lantern

The three stooges. Uncle A, my husband R and Uncle L. Can you see the family resemblance?

Us together. R giving his best blue steel.

O booging away

4 generations. The greats are in the middle and us with the in-laws.

The babe passed out with all the music and people. She didn't wake up when we transferred her to the car until we got to a quiet area.

oíche mhaith

Reflections on our trip.

Our trip back to America was everything we wanted it to be and more. My husband was able to get some part time jobs and put more in our savings. He also got to bring our Mustang, or his baby out of storage for the whole time we were there. He even was able to change some components to it. I was able to visit with so many of my friends and family. My mom came out from Denver to visit and we had a wonderful week together. I didn't get to see everyone however and if we didn't catch up, I'm sorry. You would think that 6 weeks would give you plenty of time to visit everyone since O and I didn't have many plans. Nope, It's hard to coordinate everyone into the week and weekends were even harder. But the trip back was just what I needed.
Nothing makes you feel more loved and missed then seeing everyone you love after 6 months. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about since some are in the service and don't see their loved ones for even longer. But I'm not just talking about family, I'm talking about best friends, friends and co-workers. Without these people I don't know where I would be. What was also a wonderful  was kind of feeling like a mini-celebrity since many of you would come up to me and say how much you loved my blog. That means a lot to me and gives me the motivation to keep writing.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn't exactly excited to go back to Northern Ireland. Don't get me wrong, I love living in Europe and know in my heart that we made the right decision. But coming back made me realize just how rich my life was in Maine. Also my husband and I realized that living with the in-laws is taking a harder toll on us then we thought. It just gives us even more motivation to get a house ASAP!

The weather has been crappy since we got back. But I have faith we'll have a good summer. Today I'm getting some much needed pampering for the big wedding tomorrow.  One on R's cousins is getting married. A is the first cousin after my husband to get married, and there are 25+ of them. It will be nice to have the family all back together. I can't wait to tell you all about the wedding.

Here are some pictures of our trip to Maine!

Easter Morning. She discovered the M & M's hidden inside

With Daddy at a test event for Kraft Lunchables



Family photo at C & B's



Eating popcorn with auntie K

O all dressed up for Sabbath School

Perfect picture taken by my mum

4 generations. My grandmother, mother, me and O.



A windy day at the Deering Park playground



Another day at the park

Enjoying the beach with Granny.



O wasn't afraid of the water at all. Even though it was freezing



oíche mhaith

Trip back to N.I

Hello. It's me again. I am back in Ireland after a good flight and a days rest. It's been a long time since I've blogged or written anything. I don't know where to begin or how to tell you all the feelings that are going through my mind. I didn't write the whole time we were over there because we were out straight visiting friends and family and I was with most of my blog audience. But now that I'm back, I will definitely be more diligent.

We made it to Ireland safe and sound. The trip back wasn't as bad as the trip to America. Everything seemed to work out so well. When we flew the first time, my husband and I each had a suitcase and a carry-on each. Well, we ended up getting alot of stuff that we wanted to take back with us that they don't sell in N.I or that we know of anyways. Such as popcorn kernels (for my air popper), Pepperridge Farm Gold fish, Foldgers coffee, and our deodorants. It's funny what you're will to find a substitute to and what you're not. O also got alot of toys and clothes from my mom and grandma C. So lets just say our bags were stuffed to the brim, we added an extra check in, and we also added an extra carry-on. On top of that, I dug through my old baby clothes and since we didn't have any room for those, C is sending them to us. I honestly didn't think we'd come back with this much stuff. But oh well it was nice to shop.

Anyways, our flight was good. We left Portland just shortly after 6 pm, when the Rapture was supposed to take place (I won't bore you with my thoughts on that). We had an hour flight to Newark and that was okay. O didn't like being confined to our seats, but there were only 8 people on the whole flight so we each got a seat, much different then coming to Maine. We got to Newark in plenty of time to grab some McDonald's and get O into her jammies. Just before we boarded I ask the clerk at the check-in counter if we could get a baby bed for her, but they said they didn't have any left, but she said she could work it so that we could have more room, but she didn't really tell me what that meant since the flight was full. She ended up getting O her own seat between us . The first 20 minutes of the long flight were not very nice since we weren't moving, baby was over tired and the lights were on. As soon as we started moving and they dimmed the lights she was out, well like a light. It was a smaller plane, so only 3 seats on each side which was perfect. She slept almost the whole way and only cried a little bit when we strapped her into the seat for landing.

We got to Ireland safe and sound and completely exhausted. My husband and O slept all morning and I got about a 2 hour nap. It is nice to be back, but I am really missing everyone and also my brain hasn't quite wrapped around the time change and the fact that I can't just jump in a car and see people.(more thoughts on that later). We're all unpacked and falling back into our routine.

I hope all of you are well and I'll be posting pictures of our trip soon.

oíche mhaith