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! 

No Sleep Till Ireland

On Monday I will be getting on a plane and heading to the wonderful country of Ireland for the week!

My parents and I will be renting a car in Dublin and immediately heading out on our 7 day road trip! 

When my mom asked where I wanted to go on our last family vacation before China she was expecting me to say Disney World or Universal or maybe a cruise. She was not expecting Ireland!

Ever since I spent a semester in London during undergrad I've wanted to go back! And as soon as possible! Well it's only taken me 4 years but it's finally happening!

When my mom gave me a budget to stay within she didn't realize she was giving me a challenge. I was determined to prove that we could spend a week in Ireland on the budget she gave me. I have spent hours planning, researching, and pricing flights, B&Bs, and hotels. I made an excel spreadsheet and even went as far as including the projected gas costs for the week plus 25% to account for rising gas prices. 

Yeah, I'm just a little OCD!

We are planning on going to Kilkenny, Killarney, Galway, and ending in Dublin. Of course we are going to see all the sites: Rock of Cashel, pubs, Cliffs of Moher, pubs, Guinness Storehouse, pubs, etc. You get the picture.....maybe a little less pubs....maybe :)

So, if any of you out there have any suggestions or things we absolutely cannot miss I want to hear it!

Now I just have to get through the last few days of work and move out of my house in Tallahassee and I'll be on my way!

Tough Decision

In one corner the Nook Color.....

And in the other, the Kindle.

I have succumbed to the e-reader trend.

As much as I love real books I have decided that I need an e-reader for China. Packing two years worth of books is not plausible and after reading some blogs it looks like English books are pretty hard to come by in the PRC. 

So....I need your help internets!

Which one would you choose?

Which one do you have?

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!

Where In The World

I'll be coming to you from Montreal this week lovelies! 

(photo credit)

I'm here for a school conference with some grad. school comrades. Took a week off from the 'ol job, hopped on a plane, and headed for the border. So excited to be here and can't wait to blog and post pictures! Keep your eyes peeled!

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. 

I'm Still Alive....I Promise

I know it's been 4 months since I've updated the blog. Let me provide you all with a recap: Work....School....Read for School.....Write Paper for School......Sleep....Rinse and Repeat. You get the idea. Super exciting right? Yeah, that's why I haven't been writing, I didn't want to put anyone into a boredom coma.

But, remember that whole possibly joining the Peace Corps thing? Yeah well it's really happening! Last Friday I officially accepted an invitation to be a Teacher Trainer in The People's Republic of China! 

On June 29th I will be moving to China for two years! Or 27 months! Or 835 days (according to my visa application)! However you want to look at it.

I am super excited and can.not.wait! But, it means I have a lot to do in the next three months. Part of this time will be taken up by a week in Montreal for a school conference and a week vacation with the fam in Ireland. So in the month of June I will finish up my summer class, spend a week in Ireland, move out of my place in Tallahassee and move to China. Crazy! But I love it!