As Far As The Eye Can See

We saw the absolutely most amazing views while in Ireland! 

They were gorgeous and every one of them looked like a postcard!

View from the top of The Rock of Cashel

 Found along the Ring of Kerry

 Ladies' View - on the Ring of Kerry

 Also along the Ring of Kerry

 The Cliffs of Moher......the most breathtaking of them all!

 Along the Sky Road in The Connemara

I found some of the best views of any place I have ever traveled, in Ireland. They definitely have a monopoly on scenic views!

You scream, I scream, We all scream for ruins!

Ruins are everywhere in Ireland!

Every city has at least one and they dot the countryside everywhere you go. We saw them along the country roads, along the motorway, and in farmers' fields. Most of the time they were just hanging out in a pasture surrounded by sheep and cows. 

I find them so fascinating! 

These are some of the best!

Hore Abbey

Just gorgeous! 

 The Rock of Cashel.....just up the hill from Hore Abbey

 Absolutely stunning!

 The view was amazing!

 Most of the ruins had cemeteries attached. There were gravestone in this one from the 1600's....amazing!

 Found this along the Ring of Kerry

 Aughnanure Castle

Clanmacnoise Monastery 

 The cathedral.....beautiful!

The thing that I loved the most about Ireland was that history was all around you! 

For me the ruins were one of the best parts of the trip!

Come back tomorrow for the beautiful views we found along our travels!

The Emerald Isle

I'm blogging from here this week!

Well not exactly from that exact spot. I doubt there was a wi-fi signal at the Cliffs of Moher. 

As we speak (type? read?) I am relaxing in our B&B just outside of Galway.

Full recap when I'm back from Ireland!

Gosh I love typing that....back from IRELAND! 

J'adore Montreal

I got back from Montreal last week but immediately jumped back into work and started a summer class so I am just now getting around to posting some pics to the 'ol blog.

There were seven of us that traveled together so in order to save money we rented an apartment for the week. Think Real World: Montreal....what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real!

The apartment was amazing! It was in the middle of the city, gorgeous inside, and had a full kitchen complete with everything you would need to cook each night (another cost saving tactic)! I have rented an apartment on vacation before in NYC so I thought I'd try it again. It worked out great and I am now convinced that renting an apartment is the only way to go when traveling!

To top it off there was a beautiful church right outside our door!

We saw all the sites and had some great food!

First dinner in Montreal....authentic Chinese food just three blocks from our apartment!

Old Montreal

Home made beer at The Three Brasseurs in Old Montreal

Pub food!

Poutine....a Montreal staple

French fries, gravy, and cheese curds

We found a cute little cupcake shop next to Notre Dame Basilica

An awesome panorama of Montreal

The Sailor's Chapel

Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal

Olympic Park

Lunch before the market.....authentic Italian food...yum!

Jean-Talon Market

The fruit and vegetable arrangements were great!

Even though it was cold and rainy for almost the whole week we had a great time! Montreal is a great city and definitely worth a second visit!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

I turned to big two-three on Thursday and I got my official Peace Corps invitation last week so I had to celebrate! I gathered up almost 20 of my closest friends and we headed to a local Mexican restaurant for some margaritas (sangria for me) and good food. It was great and my sweet friends even got together and got me a great card and the biggest bottle of Moscato I have ever seen. Moscato has become a staple at all our weekend get togethers so it was the go to gift. I also got the book Shanghai Girls in honor of my impending move to China along with a Target gift card. And, my lovely friend Jasmine, from China, got me a cute little good luck charm. I truly do have some great friends in Tallahassee!

At dinner

I do love my friends but they can be sneaky when they want to be. They told our waitress it was my birthday and of course that was followed by the traditional singing and shot of tequila. Tequila and I don't exactly get along so I passed it off down the table. But, the best part was the guy playing the tambourine. He was horrible. He had no rhythm and it as just loud banging. Of course he stationed himself right behind me for the duration. But, by the end of the night we all found this to be hilarious.

The horrible tambourine man

After dinner we headed to Stetson's for some good 'ole fashioned line dancing. Now, I have a pretty eclectic group of friends and we tend to bring the party with us wherever we go. So the party continued and we all embarrassed ourselves trying to learn the dances but it was a good time. After that we hopped around to a few bars. All in all it was a great night! Pretty sure one of my best birthdays to date!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

P.S. Please excuse the lovely cell phone pictures. I forgot my big girl camera so one my friends took over with her Blackberry. 

Christmas with the Obamas

I have loved Michelle Obama's style since I first saw her on TV campaigning with Barack. She has such an effortless style and always looks appropriate for whatever situation she finds herself in. I also love her down-to-Earth attitude that she has held on to even thought her husband is considered to be the most powerful man in the world.

So, when HGTV announced that they would continue their Christmas at the White House special this year I was very much looking forward to seeing how The First Lady would infuse her great style into the decorations. And then, when she announced the theme as "Simple Gifts" I knew it was going to be great. And boy is it ever! From what I saw on the special the White House looks amazing! 

(Photo Credit)

The simple branches with crystals made to look like ice diffuses the light and makes this hallway look beautiful!

(Photo Credit)

The Blue Room tree is as grand as ever and filled with ornaments made by students at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

(Photo Credit)

The ornaments represent each of the 50 states and are made of organic cloth. What a great way to fit the theme of Simple Gifts!

(Photo Credit)

The annual White House gingerbread house goes above and beyond this year! It has holes cut into the facade and rooms in the house were meticulously created, complete with electricity! There is even a tiny Bo out front. Too cute!

Needless to say I would love to visit the White House at Christmas time. It looks like it is such a magical place at this time of year! I can't imagine what it is like living in the space and getting to enjoy it every day. 

Merry Christmas ya'll!