I can't move without missing random things....

Yeah, friends and family blah blah. Of course I'll miss them! That's a given. When I move I'm all about missing random things that I can't email or talk to on the phone. For example, when I left the US I missed my car desperately. I didn't just miss having a car, I missed my car. Fortunately a friend bought it from me, so I could get updates on how it was doing. In no particular order, here are the things I'll miss:

1. The BBC - BBC America is nothing like the real thing. Where will I see shows about the history of coach travel and the history of camping in England? Or the BBC Proms? BBC America doesn't show Saturday Kitchen Live, Something for the Weekend, Countryfile, or Coast. Hrmph.

2. Not having to actively seek out foods that don't contain high fructose corn syrup - They don't put that nasty crap in anything over here and well, that's awesome. I know when I buy a loaf of whole wheat bread that it's not going to taste sweet. I feel we'll be buying a lot of bread until we find one that we like.I may even need to invest in a bread maker.

3. The pub - This one is a biggie. It's not that I'm some sort of an alcoholic, but 'going to the pub' in Ireland is a lot different than 'going to a bar' in the US. It's about more than the drink. In a country with tons of rain, it's a cozy and warm place to get out of the elements for a bit. If the pub is a bit older, there's a good chance it has a snug, which is really the best seat in the house. It's about meeting up with friends to watch the rugby and cheer Ireland on, hearing people say, 'Come on, Lads!' or 'Come on, Ireland!'. I love that. Wes will remind me that a true Irish pub has no food, no TVs, and no music. There is nothing better than going for a long walk, then popping into a pub for a pint before heading home.

4. Scones - People will tell me I can find good scones in America, but well, they're a pretty British thing so I'm fairly certain they make them better over here. I'm gonna need a good scone recipe. 

5. Random women (usually store clerks) calling me, 'Pet'. - This is a totally Irish thing. My friend's mom was the first person to call me 'Pet' and I thought it was pretty sweet. Sometimes they'll call you, 'Petal'. I'd say it's like when someone in Britain calls you, 'Love', but it's nothing like that actually. I've had men call me, 'Love' and it wasn't always in the nicest context. In fact, it sometimes felt downright demeaning.

6. Telling people I live in Ireland and them thinking it's totally cool - That's right, I just want people to think I'm cool all the time! Sometimes living in Ireland is the only 'cool' thing about me! However, this one is a double-edged sword. Once they profess the coolness of living in Ireland, they then ask me how magnificent I must think it is to live in Ireland. I hate that question more than anything. I remind them that living somewhere is always different than vacationing there and it's tough times in Ireland right now. But, I will always encourage them to come here on vacation! 

That's it for right now. I know there are going to be more and I reserve the right to add to this list!

When being an expat well and truly sucks.

My grandma died yesterday and I can't go to the funeral. This sucks. My grandfather died last year and I couldn't go to that one either. That sucked. Unfortunately, last minute international flights (particularly in the summer time) aren't cheap.

Enough whining about that, let me tell you about my grandma.

Here she is with her boys!

She was a lovely Grandma who knitted lots of things for all her granddaughters (not sure if my cousin, Craig, ever got anything knitted), bought us our yearly pair of clogs, got all us girls matching shiny roller skate jackets (yes!), took us camping, made us yummy food, and thought her sons (my dad and uncles) walked on water. 

I think my favorite story about Grandma happened when my dad was a teenager. Dad was at the town fair was hit by a race car which had gone off the track and broke his leg. Since he couldn't ride his bike, she took over his paper route and got her picture in the local paper delivering the papers! Sassy!

One of the most random memories is of a trip we took to a farm shop in Everett. I'm fairly certain it was just me and her. Why my sister wasn't there? No idea. Or maybe she was and I don't remember. Sorry Julie! We went to this farm shop and we bought Colby Jack cheese, which I had never tried before and have loved ever since. I don't think it's any sort of coincidence that a good memory for me involves cheese. We came back to the house and I had a ham and cheese sandwich, sitting at the table on a barrel stool, with a jewel-colored cushion, on the screened-in, astro-turfed carport. Perfection.

I am a lucky girl to have had such awesome grandparents and great-grandparents! Seriously, I just have an awesome family full stop. One day I asked Wes what he was thinking about and he said, 'How nice your family is.' 

Nice doesn't even begin to describe them.  They were willing to burn their retinas for these pictures!

The Sproats

 The Furrys

My baby's in the hospital

That's right....I just dropped my laptop off to be fixed. WAAHHH!!!! I'm thinking it's something with the ethernet card because it's not connecting to the internet, but if I really knew then I probably could have fixed it myself! If that is indeed what is the issue, it shouldn't take too long to fix. Or so I've been told. I'm using Wes' laptop which I H.A.T.E. So, I'm anxious to get mine back.

In happier news, I went to Fallon & Byrne to check on the pumpkin situation. Still not canned pumpkin, but I did manage to pick up some sourdough hard pretzels made in Altoona, PA (Grandma Furry represent!) and strawberry Twizzlers. I stopped before I bought some Milk Duds and A&W Root Beer. Maybe that's what I'll get the next time I go looking for pumpkin!

It's been a busy month!

Well, I'm back in Ireland! It was very strange opening the door and not having Obie there to greet us. Little Kitty was very excited to see us though! She's probably totally annoyed with the attention that Wes and I are giving her. The cat sitter came by last night and she was lovely. She told us that she stayed with Obie as long as she could and the people at the vet were just in love with him while he was there. They were all devastated when he didn't pull through. She said he purred through the entire exam and he wasn't in any pain. This is the same cat that used to purr while he was having his temperature taken, so I wasn't too surprised! We all miss him a lot.



We tried to get me registered yesterday with immigration, but the office was still closed for the Easter holiday, so no joy. I did manage to get my gym membership and I finished my taxes. I need to send them off today. In fact, I should get a move on! Wes is in Limerick for work until tomorrow, so it's just me and Little Kitty hanging out. I started my new 365 project, so check out the link to the left of this post.